The Almighty Buck

I found performance artist Marshall Weber’s musings on “the almighty buck” an interesting contrast to writer Ayn Rand’s theory of the meaning of money (“Artist Puts His Foot to American Commerce,” by Jan Breslauer, July 28).

While Weber makes the artistic choice of attaching the symbol of America to the bottom of his shoes, Rand, in her philosophic novel “Atlas Shrugged” chooses to place the dollar sign high above the earth--a sculpture of solid gold shining brilliantly in the sun.

She sees money as “the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value.” She can think of no higher tribute than to call America “a country of money.”

Ask yourself in whose world you would rather live--a world where the dollar is crushed underfoot or one where the dollar is a beacon, calling forth the best in man. Perhaps you’ll agree with Rand that money is the root of all good.

RUSSELL DVONCH

North Hollywood