Spain Shrugs

In Ayn Rand's famous novel, Atlas Shrugged, the author depicts a US awash in socialism. As one small dramatic example, she shows the government mandating that the trains run at slower speeds. In the category of "life imitates art" comes this story of recent events Spain.

As if capitulating to jihadists wasn't bad enough, the country continues a trend of slow economic suicide. Sadly, this is what one expects from socialist control. Rather than ramp up nuclear power generation to the level of France, which they could approach within a few years, they choose an austerity program instead.

To protests from motorists and mockery in parts of the press, the Socialist government plans to cut motorway speed limits to 50mph and town speeds to 25mph. New austerity rules will be imposed on the air conditioning and heating of all public buildings. Street-lighting will be cut by half.

Almost 50 million low-energy light bulbs will be handed out by the government in an attempt to drive high-consumption bulbs out of the market in the next four years. The government will also sponsor a project intended to introduce a million electric or hybrid electric-petrol cars on to Spanish roads by 2014.

And, when it comes right down to it, for no good reason at all. Spain could easily be a very wealthy country. It has a highly educated population, ample land, wind, and sunshine, a long history in banking, a large wine industry, and a healthy tourist trade. Yet, its per capita income is more than 10% below the EU average; it is ranked lower than Greece[pdf], of all places.

As if more evidence were needed, this is one more instance of shooting oneself in the head for the sake of the religion of viropaganism.

Whether the Spanish people will become angry enough to put an end to this foolishness remains to be seen. But there is hope:

[A] poll of Spanish motorists by a TV channel found little evidence of the JFK spirit. Manolo of Madrid said: "Tell the minister that things are just fine as they are. We don't want to cut our speed. People would be honking their horns all the time if they had to go that slow."

By all means, Spaniards, make some noise. Otherwise, the next sound heard from you will be a death rattle.