Ayn Rand

Even before I read Ayn Rand, I had started to ponder the same exact ideals that she preaches. Those for personal responsibility and personal gain. I now recognize that those are generally Conservative ideals, and I did not realize that before. But, still, now that I do realize that, I do not believe that believing a proponent of personal responsibility hinders me in anyway from being a good Democrat. Why should I be confined to reading only writing that I supposedly believe in based on the label that I attach to myself? I guess it's the same with music, but I honestly do not like rap or hippyhop. And reading, I do forbid myself from reading religious texts. No, scratch that. I allow myself to read it, with the preconception in my mind that it will be ridiculous, and that in the world of Science and Empiricism, will not make sense. And I honestly believe that they try to trick readers into thinking that they make sense so as to attract more zealots.
I am really irked of people's reactions when I tell them that I have read Ayn Rand. They stare me down as if I were a reactionary. I am all for personal achievement, How could I not be, when I am one who values the mind? I love for the mind to succeed and achieve. But looking out for my own interest and being competitive should be looked at separately from caring for the world. You move up in society when you deserve to; when it's not your time to, when you don't have that "oomph," I believe it is up to those who have moved up to provide the means to bring you up. But you still have to do the work yourself to bring yourself up. I guess liberals don't like to believe what she writes because of the rigid social structure, where upper and lower classes are strictly distinguishable, and where the strong keep getting stronger. I do believe that what she writes of is a truth of social reality. I want to be on top of whatever I do. Otherwise, I get jealous of whoever is. (My gosh, did I admit that?) The thing is, the strong became the strong by their passion to succeed. That passion doesn't fade. I mean, I hope it does not fade, for passion is what really makes life. The weak stay weak because of various economic reasons, which I think it is up to the strong to fix. That's Democratic enough, right? Oh, and there is also an inferiority complex, and that idea of the "disreputable poor," that is a psychological barrier that keeps the weak from having a passion, which I think is why much of the time, the weak don't have the desire to move up. They only have an instinct for survival, and that is why they work, but there is no competition that pushes them up.
Did I make sense.