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Re:This terrifying moment is our one chance for a new world by dougp on Monday October 06, 2008 @07:05AM (#324774)
Rand's number one rule of characterization: if someone says their ought to be a law. They are a bad character.
Re:This terrifying moment is our one chance for a new world by unalone on Monday October 06, 2008 @12:14PM (#325036)
This is what I like least about Rand detractors: they never actually seem to have read the book.

Rand gets very specific about what constitutes a useful law and what doesn't. Mainly, she says that government should protect the people with law enforcement, protect their rights with courtrooms, and protect the nation with a defensive military - all things that private enterprise can't be trusted to do. She believes in government in a limited capacity, but she believes it should exist.

And one thing people don't seem to get while reading Atlas: she's aware that she's writing about a pipe dream. Her story is merely a hypothetical ideal, not an idea of what she actually wants to happen. Her writing worked, too: it made millions of people think about self-reliance and freedom. And that's not a bad thing at all.

Re:This terrifying moment is our one chance for a new world by dougp on Thursday October 09, 2008 @07:20AM (#327699)
I am not a Rand detractor I am a card carrying libertarian. FountainHead page 137 supports my claim. You misunderstood me I like her writing and her ideals. Its my fault for making a quick joke anyway.