The rhetorical opening line "Who is John Galt" to Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged" which provides the basis for much right wing dogma today is appropriate for examining the Boston2024 movement to bring the Olympics to Boston. In the story, America is in decline, the people are unappreciative 'looters', the bureaucrats and politicians are completely corrupt, and the institutions of the country are inept. Rand suggests that the only people that can save the world is a tiny group of individualist industrialists who decide to leave society behind and start a utopian commune led by John Galt in the mountains. This fictional book has been cited by none other than social budget cutting congressman and Mitt Romney's Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan as inspiration.

So who is John Fish? A prominent, successful and giving citizen. In fact he has given well over $100,000 personally in campaign contributions. But he is no Ayn Randian ideologue, instead he would appear to be more an opportunist who completely understands how the pay to play system works here in Massachusetts. How else do you explain multiple maximum contributions of $5000 to both the State Democratic committee and the State Republican committee? Maximum contributions to 3 of the 4 Boston city councilors at large? Contributions to such disparate politicians as Mitt Romney and Diane Wilkerson? Call me naive, but perhaps this money is why no elected officials have come out publicly against this privatization of a civic responsibility, or at least had the fortitude to ask what the fiscal responsibility of their constituents will be.

Funny enough, on a superficial level both Atlas Shrugged and the Boston2024 movement are about fixing the trains! The book's heroine Dagny Taggart strives in an Olympian manner to believe in the system and keep the trains running before succumbing to the premise that American society is doomed to fail unless we deify and free the elitist industrialists. Cynically, the only promise that Mr. Fish seems to make to Massachusetts society is that if we trust him with an undisclosed amount of our money, he will get the MBTA trains upgraded, built and running sooner than we the people through our institutions of democratic government would otherwise get them.

As has been studied in detail, every recent Olympics held in a Western country has had massive cost over runs, false promises to its hosts, and local citizens left to pay for the consequences for years or decades after. The lost opportunity cost of that money being spent on true civic institutions like schools, job training, parks, and needed infrastructure is immense. Of course, the short term opportunities to connected builders and politicians is immense as well, with large contracts and jobs and front row seats to the connected, all paid by 'We the People'.

We in Boston like to think of ourselves as more intelligent, more ingenious, and more thrifty than most. I have been to an Olympics myself and like many love to watch and appreciate the athletes brilliance and fortitude. The inspirational video of the marathoner John Akhwari finishing the race in Mexico City with a broken body brings me to tears of pride in the human spirit. If John Fish and Co. have figured out a way that no one else in the world has to make the Olympics cost neutral at worst, requiring no input of discretionary public dollars, I will be first in line to embrace it.

But closed door meetings of connected industrialists with government officials and private institutions, no public process, lack of disclosure, and secret bids with a dubious International organization sounds like the kind of bad fiction that the citizens of an educated state should not buy to fix what ails them. When John Fish and the politicians put the following non-fiction in writing: "The citizens of Massachusetts will pay no expenses for bringing the Olympics to Boston" I will begin to believe they are smarter and better than the good people of London, Athens, Vancouver, etc. Until then, Ayn Rand, no cost Olympics, and trickle down economics will stay on the fictional side of my library.