[ceejayoz]

> But it's not at all a crazy argument to understand accepting the benefits as a recovery of resources that were rightfully yours to begin with.

I rather suspect Rand's politics didn't include giving land back to Native Americans, or paying reparations to slaves.

[glenstein]

Great point and no disagreements from me there, it's actually a great illustration of an intellectual blind spot her philosophy is practically helpless to address.

But one comment ago the subject was social security, and I don't think the charge of hypocrisy sticks on that one.

[ceejayoz]

> But one comment ago the subject was social security, and I don't think the charge of hypocrisy sticks on that one.

But that difference is the hypocrisy!

"I get to have this… because it was taken from me! No, that doesn't apply to your thing, because… uh..."

[glenstein]

We could live in a world where there was no injustice visited on Native Americans and Ayn Rand still either was or was not a hypocrite about Social Security. But I think Rand neutralized that by putting it in the context of losing money via taxation and recovering it as a benefit.

What's essential to that argument is what's contained in Rand's philosophy about taxation and her personal actions in electing to receive the benefit. Broadening the scope of the argument to include Native Americans in order to sustain the charge of hypocrisy is an indicator that the Social Security argument is not able to stand on its own.