Atlas Mugged: The 12 Sleazy Reasons CEOs Really Like Ayn Rand #p2

They say they are drawn to Rand's central ethos, which favors laissez faire capitalism, limited government (except where it concerned her), and the notion that selfishly pursuing wealth is, ultimately, a noble act because of the wealth it generates for others. But if you've ever read either of Rand's two big novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, you'll know that there are some rather less honorable reasons why CEOs love Rand. Her books may play up libertarian zeal, but they also supply philosophical cover for some of the sleazier sides of business life:

1. There's nothing wrong with forgetting your wedding anniversary. At the beginning of Atlas, steel magnate Hank Rearden is asked by his wife to attend a party in three months' time. He's really busy and important — so he tries to wriggle out of it, until Lillian reminds him that it's their 10th wedding anniversary. When you run your own company, spouses come second.
2. Families are filled with mooches. One of the problems with being the most successful member of your family — as Rearden is — is that brothers and mothers and others keep asking you for donations to their various charities. Leeches, all.
3. Inheriting a railroad is just a normal part of American life. The central conceit of Atlas is that Dagny Taggart gets to run the Taggart Transcontinental railroad because she's an amazing talent. It's nothing to do with the fact that her father died and willed the company to her and her siblings. For Randians, hard work gets you to the top, not nepotism, no matter how much nepotism appears to be on display.
4. Action = meetings. Although Atlas features both a train crash and a plane crash, most of the "action" consists of a seemingly endless series of meetings about the future of the Taggart company. Meetings with suppliers. Meetings with government bureaucrats. Meetings with competitors. If, like most CEOs, your entire productive worth is measured by what you get out of meetings, then this is drama indeed.

rest at http://www.bnet.com/blog/advertising-business/atlas-mugged-the-12-sleazy-reasons-ceos-really-like-ayn-rand/7578