I’ve been a fan of Ayn Rand’s terse writing style and sharp observations since I was a young teenager. Her self-centered pessimistic outlook is entertaining and, while I don’t agree with her on all things, I do find her perspective compelling.
I pulled out an old quote I read in one of her books about the skepticism that modern man has in his judicial system. I can imagine her hunched over her typewriter banging out word after word while muttering maledictions about the taxman under her breath as she went.
“The average man cannot seek redress in court, whether criminal or civil: he cannot afford it. The cost, the length of time required, and the unpredictable outcome of non-objective laws have made him give up the hope of appealing to justice, whether he suffers from a neighbor’s petty chiseling or from some major violation of his rights. He has grown stoically-or cynically-indifferent: he knows (or seems) that the main violator is the government, that no muggers can deprive him of the sums which the government seizes at income-tax time.”
Ahh, the joys of tax time are approaching.