There’s absolutely every reason to literally go Galt after this year. If you live in the United States, after seeing all the pointless crap our tax money is being spent on, it’s pretty much a requirement. The parasitic filth that demands more money but will use anything as an excuse not to work. Starve the beast.
I’m in Engineering at an essential equipment manufacturer. When you commented on Babysitting Lunatics I can totally relate. I’m heading for the gulch at 55. Mixture of minimalism and saving. Before this latest “pandemic” I figured I could make it to “normal” age. Not anymore. I’ve got, and had, enough. Of the things I had left that I wanted to do, I’m just accepting that they are not on the menu anymore. Why give THEM anymore of my time and money. All this BS has done, regarding me, is remove an otherwise productive citizen, with an uncommon and essential skill set, from the production of GDP. Good Job Statists. I’d try to enact change. But, this country is rotten to the core. The “United” States as it currently exists is not worth the proverbial squeeze. We literally cannot perform simple addition. 1+1 does NOT equal 3. Although with the correct software and a box of ballots found under a table at 3am it can. Balkanization is the only outcome which I will feel my time spent contributing to society is well spent. It’s time to dissolve this union. Let the parasites feed off of each other. In a world of their own creation.
We need a practical guide to Going Galt. Things to do and not to do. For me getting a new vehicle is out. My old vehicle does 99% of what a new one will. Except one very important feature. It doesn’t enslave me.

Unless there is a Trump administration in early 2021, I'll be heading for a Gulch, too.

Atlas shrugs in many ways, doesn't he?

Frankly, if I stopped working as hard or as long as I do I'd lose my mind.

This country offers nothing to me anymore. The central aspect of my existance has always been to follow my own path and let others do the same. Until 2020, until covid, I've been able to go about my business. Now its expected that I comply, I bend a knee, wear an asinine mask in publiuc, and pretend all is okay..its not. I am angry and disgusted. There is no where to go, I can't write, I can't stomach TV anymore, no movies to go to, and I can only play so many video games (or work on my own).

I'm sick of this shit and am perfectly happy that I'm on the downhill slope. If it weren't for work...

We haven't 'worked' in about 8 years. We sold our paid for house about 2 years ago and moved into a rental in very gulch like community where people mind their own business. But I got to thinking about what is happening to our money - the trillions being created out of thin air and we decided to buy a home with a big mortgage - interest at 2.375%. With inflation being well over the 'official' 1.2% I figure we are coming out ahead by still having the money in our hands and making a mortgage payment less then half the rent we were paying. (And that was less then the costs of our owning a paid for house given taxes, maintenance, etc. in Illinois.)
Can you believe a bank would give a 77 year old couple a 30 year mortgage :-) What a joke!
But I think the joke is on those who don't know TANSTAAFL!

I wish I could divulge what I've seen lately. Maybe someday. But I'll just say that those who the people have put in charge are very dangerous to the people. Gross stupidity has completely infiltrated the ranks of those in charge of everything. I'm getting out this year. I could go the way of Robert Stadler. But, I won't do it.

I'm out in front of you pal.
2018 and 19 were prep years to remove as much debt as possible. Finished a move end of March 2020. I have a 60k debt structure and lifestyle that requires less than 25k a year.....this allots time. First is network of relationships outside a work environment...this is blossoming far beyond expectations. In planning stage of pseudo-permaculture living....network is major part of this. I have a 1/4 range fed cow in the freezer and a full hog coming in a week....traded my labor doing some repairs.

This week...oy...rotated tires on both trucks and changed fluids. Went 2 hours north and repaired a semi trailer spindle on a farm. Cut down a small grove of Cedar (15 mature trees) to stop "rust" on my 2 apple trees, limbed and removed brush to disposal. Planned a 15 bed raised garden and identified seeds to procure. Housemate moved out and I re-arranged 2 rooms for office and bed. Met three times with my garden / food support network. Welded a plow frame for a friend. Still two days left this week. Tomorrow I pick up 12 logs of hard maple and take them out to make the garden frames, stakes for a trailer....and possibly 8 to 10 slabs for furniture grade stock. Sunday....rest?...slow down? I'm having too much fun involved in relationships that sustain my life....literally. I'm usually up at 5 and down at 11....enthusiasm...
I'm in my Gulch.

When you find that special place, peopled with hearty outlook, .....let me know....that'll make 2 Gulches.

I retired (also from engineering) about 5 years ago. I highly recommend it!

I just wish things would open back up so my wife and I could travel more. And yes ... in the Vette!

I pulled back a few years sgo but I can't afford to retire as yet. So I work within the system as a high school teacher. I do what I can to save the few who will listen.

Trying to hold a grip upon the wobbly tiller. I read you brother.

My husband retired at the end of July, saw what was coming, even if Trump staff did not. We live in a rural area, thank goodness, but know they are coming for our right to do so. Remember when Hillary started asking how many bedrooms people had, might use them for homeless. Not liking what we see. Know gas is going to be overtaxed, that estate tax will eat up with we hoped to pass on, and capital gains will kill us. How could so many warning signs been ignored, how could people not have seen them, how could Trump adm. not seen them. Now look at the commie nation of the US.

I have never understood the "do the minimum possible to sustain your existence" part of the Galt mantra. Seems like cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

Unfortunately, many of us are stuck where we live for now. My house consumes much of my time in maintenance. I'm waiting for warmer here in north-central Arizona to do exterior repair work. Maybe the revolution will arrive in the spring and I won't have to do anything. Many of the retirees in the neighborhood live on great pensions (many are retired from major industries in California). They can hire contractors to do the work on their homes. So, I can't wait when things start falling apart and see how they fair.

Of course I would see this post on shrugging as I take a brief break from a very productive AM writing a patent.

I kinda already gulched. Now in a more menial job. Quiet.

One other thing that is making this good timing. As I watch how this pandemic is being reported, the enthusiasm for attaching your vaccination to your passport, etc...The total lack of science being applied (a news story this morning said, "We're testing all the school kids and there was no COVID, so we prevented it by testing")...I think things are really going to take a downturn as the powers-that-be jump on this opportunity to really destroy liberty.

Interesting, I am cutting back on work and expenses. I just dont want to fund the collectivists any more with their crazy schemes. NOT to mention that they make it harder every day to actually make the money that they tax you on. Regulations and additional taxes have to be dealt with before I can even turn a profit. ENOUGH

Those of you who say “Keep Charging Ahead Full Speed!” Seem to be missing the point. Your zeal only generates more taxable income. You’re literally attempting to swim up a waterfall. The more they spend the more they print. The more they print the harder you have to work. Dollar amounts are not THE GOAL. Unplug from the matrix. Intrinsic value matters. The rest is all fake. And don’t buy into that Bitcoin crap. It may have a theoretical ceiling, but it has no floor. When you can buy up to eight decimal places of bit coin it is effectively infinite. Rand didn’t live in an economy where the Dollar was not backed by anything. She’d have a good deal to say about this.

It goes without saying that people are free to work hard or not.

I am a huge fan of plug-pulling, shaking things up, trying something new.

Slowing down, though, is not for me at this point. This has been a crazy year, with a lot of crazy ups and downs, but everything worked out amazingly well. Things will be even better when the pandemic ends.