4. Jason Pye: Frustrated Randian
Jason Pye tries to live his life in accordance with his libertarian ideals. He is a devotee of author and philosopher Ayn Rand, whose work promotes laissez-faire capitalism and individualism.
“I view government as something that should play a minimal role in our lives.”
He avoids public transportation “as a point of principle.”
He tries not to shop at WalMart because, in conjunction with courts “They’ve abused private property rights,” he says.
He’s even a libertarian in his love life.
A newlywed, he delayed marrying his girlfriend of five years, Amanda, because of his political beliefs.
“I didn’t want to get married for a while because I didn’t want government to have to approve my marriage. It’s a private matter.”
After he talked things over with Amanda, the pair finally got married this summer. The deciding factor: “The tax benefits, plus I could bring her on my health insurance.”
As hard as Pye tries, though, big government is getting more and more difficult to avoid. Thanks to President Bush, he can’t even bank without government meddling. And, now, there’s the Administration’s massive Wall Street bailout. It includes a quarter-trillion dollar investment in (i.e. purchase of) American banks – including Atlanta-based SunTrust, where Pye has long done his banking.
When SunTrust announced it sold stock to the government valued at one-quarter of the bank’s worth, Pye was livid.
“I’ll be closing my SunTrust accounts this week,” he announced on his blog. “I’m going to BB&T.”
Less than four hours later, Pye posted an update. “Scratch that idea, the Feds picked off BB&T too,” he wrote, linking to news that BB&T took $3.1 billion from the government. “This is the most disappointing news I’ve read in a long time.”
BB&T’s move was a kick-in-the-gut to Pye because he long-admired what he believed was BB&T CEO John Allison’s commitment to capitalist ideals. Just two years ago, the bank donated $1 million to fund an Ayn Rand reading room at UNC-Greensboro.
“Allison just spit on Ayn Rand’s grave.”
Pye is exploring whether to move his checking account to a credit union.
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THE LIST
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1. Caroline: Unemployed dairy goat
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Caroline has a great spread. Her home, Decimal Place Farm, is a gently rolling 18-acre tract in Cla...
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2. Rex Smith: Can’t stop bitchassness
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Rex Smith is fed up with bitchassness. He’s so fed up, in fact, the 25-year-old Northside Drive...
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3. Deisha Oliver: Can’t play her cello because some jerk sat on her bow and broke it
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Deisha Oliver’s cello and bow aren’t special by objective standards. “My instrument is...
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4. Jason Pye: Frustrated Randian
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Jason Pye tries to live his life in accordance with his libertarian ideals. He is a devotee of autho...
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5. Rodney Bowman: Can’t stop graffiti in his neighborhood
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“Ever since I jumped out of that tree, I’ve probably covered about 50 graffiti tags."...
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