@xianc78 @icedquinn I can respect that. I went through a Rand phase a few years back, I stand by The Fountainhead as being a genuinely great book that functions as both a vehicle for Objectivist philosophy and a compelling story on its own. Atlas Shrugged is just too damn bloated though, I got through it, but I understand why a lot of people just can't finish it; you really need to be at least 60% with her in order to get into it, and the fact that her self-insert character is sexually irresistible to every major male character in the book is telling of the sheer size of her ego (which I think she would consider a compliment).
That said, I think "the charity question," is pretty cleanly explained in AS, basically charity is only immoral if you're giving against your interests, if you're donating to a charity that will ultimately lead to a long term benefit for you in some way that's still kosh (EG: donating to a homeless shelter because having people sleeping in the streets is bad for business, so you're ultimately helping yourself by helping other people).

That's all semantics though, I agree that Objectivism and Libertarianism should be viewed as parallel, but separate ideologies.