Dear Dr. Paul. I want to tell you a story about a bad Libertarian. I am doing this to enlighten you about what is going on for the American people, and perhaps why you might be criticized for Ayn Rand.
Like you, I went to college in the 80’s. My first degree is in Art History. I worked my way through it. I was able to do this because I worked for a newspaper. I had a career in my own right, and I met and married my husband at the paper. Twice the paper was sold during the twenty years I was there.
In 1981, when I began there as a young student, men like your father ran things. We were bought out by a very large paper back east. You know the one, because, they are now writing articles all about you.
I was young during the first sale. It might have been 1987, and I was one of the ones they kept to go through the shift over into pagination from what we called cold type at that time. It was a time of endless computers and very late nights as we struggled to put the paper out on a daily basis.
The Pressmen, Editorial, and my department called Composing, as well as Pre-Press all had something like a union. The other departments did not. We would get fabulous raises from the men who were your dad’s generation. I had a decent job, and I was ready to settle down and start my family.
Corporate life under the big umbrella of the new corporation was very different.
They broke the unions up. This was a first thing they did. We were told that raises were no longer possible because the paper wasn’t making enough money. We put up with that, out of loyalty or honor, or because they were jobs or? I had a mortgage to pay, for one thing.
Benefits were the carrot that they promised and there were 401k’s, and all sorts of things like stock splits and so forth.
My story is NO different than millions of others across our country, so don’t think I am doing it for your pity.
Basically the middle managers pocketed most of the money and on the bottom rung of the totem pole, well, one cent an hour was considered a raise after the unions split.
Along came a Libertarian full of promises in the year 2000, when the paper was sold again. She was fantastically rich, and she promised that she wouldn’t change anything during the sale.
The week of the sale, we were all fired and rehired.
My husband was called in and fired. I was offered my job.
You can imagine.
He had been there 37 years. I had been there 20.
I had to quit. I was only able to last seven months afterwards, shaking as I entered the building each day. It has taken that libertarian 15 years to destroy the paper. So, all the things my colleagues and I had worked for? The loyalty? It meant nothing to her. She was hard core Ayn Rand. Let me show you what she did later. http://ajrarchive.org/Article.asp?id=4226
I was forced to sign papers the week of the sale so that my husband could take an early retirement. When I quit, there was no recourse at all.
So, I guess you can look at me as one of the millions who has never taken a dime from our government, EVER. Who has been shafted out of ANYTHING?
I had gone back for a master’s in Psychology and was doing very good work FOR FREE to gain my license as a Doctor just like YOU. Except I WASN’T PAID. Can you believe it?
I was a therapist here in town.
That agency USED trainees and interns.
In 2003 I stopped working, and have not since. I’m just a writer now. So I want you to watch a movie about “what” people think Libertarians are. One of the writers at Reason can confirm this story because he used to work at the LAT. Matt Welch.
People think Libertarians are just like that Ayn Rand. I really hope you won’t be.
By the way, we no longer have a Free Press in our country. We don’t.
You will want to check out Freepress.net and see who owns what.
Please watch this film!
Clooney’s character is how people think of Libertarians.
xxoo!
I think you will make a great President.
Our country has NOTHING LEFT.
Run Rand Paul!
Oh ps: I am your friendly libertine, which I think might be the height of Libertarianism. Truly!
If the shoe fits, wear it.
❤
VALENTINE BONNAIRE - WRITER 