I am not exactly Ayn Rand’s biggest fan.
I have read Atlas Shrugged from cover to cover (except for certain portions of John Galt’s speech, which almost everyone skips after a while, because we got it* after the first three pages). It was a really well-written book, with wonderful protagonists, beautiful writing, and an engaging story.
Ayn Rand was, um, a little extreme. Now, I am no stranger to extreme statements. I kind of make them a lot. I have a very polarized view of many things. So I get that Ayn Rand is very adamant in her beliefs. I just happen to disagree with a few of them. For example, I am personally religious, and I do not believe religious devotion or religious experiences to be outside of rational thought (or rational self-interest). From her writing, it is clear that Ayn Rand’s ideas about intimate relationships are really unhealthy. I am also a supporter of universal health care—as a standard-of-living issue, not as a human rights issue.
But, for the record, here are some of Ayn Rand’s views. And while one can admire someone without agreeing with all of that person’s views, I think that you will agree that a number of politicians who claim that she heavily influenced them are picking and choosing to such an extreme that they either completely fail to understand her or they are simply hoping to attract people who …