Your subsequent comments on wages and gated communities presumes a certain lawlessness and a failure to understand the economics of labor, that rationalizes violating the rights of the very individual laborers you believe you respect: their own right to property and to pursue their own happiness. That was the history of America after 1865 that made America great, both morally and economically. Now the very ideas you espouse are destroying it.
One of those using those ideas was Alan Greenspan, who betrayed his own writings in Rand's essay collection titled "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal". Rand also utterly rejected Libertarians and Libertarianism, but you would have to read more to understand why. One major reason is the aforementioned hierarchy of Life, Liberty, Property, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The Libertarians took Freedom as a foundation for politics, defaulting on the moral requirements of the individual mind.
So, you wrote, "In the real world we all do things that don't "make sense"." and proceeded to back it up with examples. Imagine if Thomas Jefferson et al. had stood for that argument. The idea is to free men's minds to do all they could to make better sense, to be more reasonable. Jefferson knew it, and said so: "I swear upon the altar of God, eternal hostility to every form of tyranny over the mind of man." America was the only nation to be built on that principle, a principle a majority of Americans have now forgotten ...save for Rand & those who really understand her vision. Caring for children and enjoying a walk on the beach do not contradict with her views, she would advocate them if you are not ruining your life (skipping a business meeting crucial to your life) in the process.
Enjoy life, * use reason, * be an individual (don't blindly accept other's arguments as some commenters here are willing to do), * be productive (life requires effort) not parasitic, * be honest (recognize that the unreal IS unreal. E.g. know when you know Rand, and when you don't.), * practice rational ideas (integrity), * practice justice (e.g. don't parasitize the productive, don't reward the unproductive) and * have enough pride in yourself to stick to your most sensible values, even against cultural ideas that would undo any of the seven italicized virtues.
Pardon me for writing so much, I did not have time to write less, and make the same chicken-shit :-) excuses on my typos.
RnBram
One of those using those ideas was Alan Greenspan, who betrayed his own writings in Rand's essay collection titled "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal". Rand also utterly rejected Libertarians and Libertarianism, but you would have to read more to understand why. One major reason is the aforementioned hierarchy of Life, Liberty, Property, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The Libertarians took Freedom as a foundation for politics, defaulting on the moral requirements of the individual mind.
So, you wrote, "In the real world we all do things that don't "make sense"." and proceeded to back it up with examples. Imagine if Thomas Jefferson et al. had stood for that argument. The idea is to free men's minds to do all they could to make better sense, to be more reasonable. Jefferson knew it, and said so: "I swear upon the altar of God, eternal hostility to every form of tyranny over the mind of man." America was the only nation to be built on that principle, a principle a majority of Americans have now forgotten ...save for Rand & those who really understand her vision. Caring for children and enjoying a walk on the beach do not contradict with her views, she would advocate them if you are not ruining your life (skipping a business meeting crucial to your life) in the process.
Enjoy life,
* use reason,
* be an individual (don't blindly accept other's arguments as some commenters here are willing to do),
* be productive (life requires effort) not parasitic,
* be honest (recognize that the unreal IS unreal. E.g. know when you know Rand, and when you don't.),
* practice rational ideas (integrity),
* practice justice (e.g. don't parasitize the productive, don't reward the unproductive) and
* have enough pride in yourself to stick to your most sensible values, even against cultural ideas that would undo any of the seven italicized virtues.
Pardon me for writing so much, I did not have time to write less, and make the same chicken-shit :-) excuses on my typos.