[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 9 (Wednesday, February 2, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AYN RAND'S BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 2, 2005

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, today, on the occasion of the 100th 
anniversary of the birth of Ayn Rand, these comments. Ayn Rand has long 
inspired advocates of personal liberty and economic freedom. These 
ideals of individual responsibility and limited constitutional 
government are urgently needed in our Nation today.

                     Ayn Rand Centenary Celebration

                          (By Don Ernsberger)

       February 2nd marks the 100th Anniversary of the birth of 
     philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand. The Russian born author of 
     Atlas Shrugged, Fountainhead and a number of nonfiction works 
     in economics and ethics became, in the twentieth century, a 
     major influence on the intellectual culture of the United 
     States. Her most famous work, Atlas Shrugged remains ranked 
     by the Library of Congress Center for the Book as the second 
     most influential books ever published.
       Ayn Rand was a champion of capitalism and of individual 
     liberty. She had experienced the impact of communism in her 
     native Russia and was an outspoken opponent of both communism 
     and of socialism. She advocated personal responsibility and 
     an objective code of moral behavior. Ayn Rand's fictional and 
     non-fictional works promoted the ideal of the self-reliant 
     individual who values reason, production and self-esteem in 
     their personal lives and rejects the enslavement of others to 
     advance one's own personal goals. A proud immigrant, who 
     chose America, she perceptively grasped the nature of our 
     Constitution: ``The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on 
     the government, not on private individuals . . . it does not 
     prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the 
     conduct of government . . . it is not a charter for 
     government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection 
     against the government.''

  Today, February 2, 2005, we celebrate the birth of this influential 
philosopher and writer who inspired and continues to inspire so many 
individuals to live rationally, and respect the rights of others. So 
much of what has made American a great society is found in her 
writings.

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