Ayn Rand, again

More talk about Ayn Rand and her philosophy these days, because Paul Ryan, the Republican VP pick, has cited her influence as the reason he entered government service.  I totally understand why Masters of the Universe support her vision of the world, seeing as she justifies their privilege and constantly lauds their superiority. Of course being born with a silver spoon in your mouth doesn't make you any more accomplished than someone who lives in the bottom tier.  Ryan is another son of privilege who finds her emphasis on individual achievement, and her description of the moral basis of the capitalist system, enthralling. But whenever I listen to discussions of her philosophy, I can't help but wonder who would really want to live in a world that followed her design.  It is a brutal and unkind world, and I genuinely don't think that those who embrace her ideas would really relish existing in such a place.