• • • READER COMMENT: Beliefs of Democratic Party in Line with Teachings of the Bible 
Debu Majumdar, Times-News (Twin Falls, ID) Atlas Shrugged  |Capitalism  |Egoism  |Individualism  |Paul Ryan  | Ayn Rand was an excellent fiction writer (many conservatives like her even 55 years later) and succeeded in generating intense emotion from her readers. She essentially preached that people should work hard and live for themselves. She encouraged self-idolization and serving one’s true character, desires, happiness and personal zeal. She opposed communism for the same reason — it purports to promote society over individualism. In a peculiar way, she has embodied the ideal expressed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence: life, liberty and the pursuit of individual happiness. Compassion and caring for others are seen as weaknesses by her protagonists. She vehemently promotes individuality and the idea of making money. Adultery is not forbidden since it promotes satisfaction of the self. Jesus’ parables, on the other hand, are simple stories with humble, straightforward messages meant for all — rich or poor, successful or not.   Published: 2012-09-23