Limbaugh: 'Some people are just born to be slaves'

In a polemic almost worthy of Ayn Rand herself, radio host Rush Limbaugh explained Friday why equality is impossible and declared that "some people are just born to be slaves."

But that's fine, Limbaugh explained, because "everybody's needed for something."

"There is no equality," Limbaugh said on his radio show. "You cannot guarantee that any two people will end up the same. And you can't legislate it, and you can't make it happen. You can try, under the guise of fairness and so forth, but some people are self-starters, and some people are born lazy. Some people are born victims. Some people are just born to be slaves."

Limbaugh seemed to be echoing the "objectivist" philosopher Ayn Rand's belief that only a few gifted people are capable of moving society forward, while all others must depend on the efforts of the elite few for their well-being.

"Some people ... are born and they're not going to take anything from anybody," Limbaugh continued. "They're going to be totally in charge of their lives. They're not going to sit around and wait for something. They're going to make it happen. You can see this throughout the American population."

Limbaugh went on to postulate that the existence of "self-starters" and those "born to be slaves" was "probably a matter of intelligent design."

"The vast majority of people are not self-starters," Limbaugh continued. "And in a way, it all works out. Because everybody's needed for something."

The following audio was broadcast on the Rush Limbaugh Radio Show, Friday Oct. 8, 2010, and uploaded to the Web by MediaMatters.