[crapshoot101]

I'd bet a 100 bucks there's an objectivist / Randian here; we all read the book as kids, but we recognized that the Randian model couldn't particularly deal with children, or family for example. Wealth creation is a laudable goal, but not the only one.

[javert]

Yes, I'm an Objectivist.

You have some common misconceptions, allow me to teach you something new.

- I know a great many PhDs who are Objectivists (hopefully myself soon, too). It's really not a philosophy for teenagers and that is just something people spread to put it down without using a real argument.

- Objectivism can deal with children and family just fine. Lots of Objectivists have children and families, including Ayn Rand's closest philosophical associate, Leonard Peikoff.

- Objectivism does not say that wealth creation is the only goal. It says (summarizing) that self-preservation is the root of all values, and experiencing your values (in myriad ways) produces enjoyment. Wealth creation is just one way to experience your values, not the only way. Another way is, for example, through family. There are lots of Objectivists who choose non-lucrative career paths.

[tripzilch]

How does it deal with the elderly and the disabled?

A society is to be judged by how well it treats those who are worst off. Optimize for that. Not the average, the median or the mode.