correction: "resurrection." Let's not overlook the poster boy for Ayn Randian "contribution": Edward Burkhardt, CEO of Rail World Inc.:
"The train derailed early Saturday morning, causing explosions and a fire that officials say killed at least 13 people, forced the evacuation of 2,000 residents and destroyed about 30 buildings. In addition, about 50 people remain unaccounted for." -- Globe and Mail<http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/lac-megantic-residents-to-be-allowed-to-return-home-tuesday/article13086475/> Edward Burkhardt, CEO of Rail World Incorporated, was hailed 15 years ago as an Ayn Randian "achiever" in "A Better Way to Run a Railroad<http://www.atlassociety.org/wisconsin-central-railroad>," originally published in the May 1998 issue of the Atlas Society's *Navigator* magazine: Inevitably, the success of Wisconsin Central attracted the animosity of those who resent achievement. The vultures were ready to pounce whenever misfortune struck. And they did pounce in the aftermath of a train derailment caused by a broken switch in the small community of Weyauwega, Wisconsin, in March 1996. Thirty-five cars derailed, almost half of them containing liquefied petroleum gas. One car exploded, but the heroic efforts of the train’s conductor minimized the extent of the fire. No one was injured... ... Over 97 percent of the affected residents and businesses settled with the railroad within months. All but one of the remaining cases were settled out of court. But the Wisconsin newspapers climbed all over the railroad, sensationalizing its safety record and operating practices. The politically reflexive Federal Railway Administration picked up the cue, sending a small army of inspectors to the property to examine all aspects of the railroad’s operation. Fines were levied against the railroad, primarily for *nit-picking violations of regulations whose impact on safety was questionable*. For example,*Wisconsin Central had been experimenting with a one-man crew on certain trains*, a common practice in New Zealand and Europe. As part of the resulting “agreement” with the FRA, that experiment had to be suspended. Recently, the Wisconsin legislature passed a law prohibiting one-man train crews in the state. http://ecologicalheadstand.blogspot.com/2013/07/dagny-taggart-would-smile.html On Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 9:11 AM, michael perelman < [email protected]> wrote: > > Pity the poor 1%. > > > > http://www.forbes.com/sites/harrybinswanger/2013/09/17/give-back-yes-its-time-for-the-99-to-give-back-to-the-1/ > > -- > Michael Perelman > Economics Department > California State University > Chico, CA > 95929 > > 530 898 5321 > fax 530 898 5901 > http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > > -- Cheers, Tom Walker (Sandwichman)
_______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
