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But how do you expect to make that money without a public school system?

And, also, when Obi Wan says that "Only the Sith deal in absolutes", isn't that statement an absolute?

Well, in saying that some taxes are rationally justified, as mentioned before, I was just implying that the government wasn't just taking your money. In terms of a school tax, I believe that one is necessary, in order to fund the schools, obviously. However, you may argue "why should the elderly pay a school tax, if they have no kids in school?" This is a valid point, but once one examines the benefits of a school besides the obvious ones, like education. These elderly people are paying their school tax in order to build the community of tomorrow, one in which they will live. Indirectly, by paying school taxes, they shape the youth of the community, ultimately building a better community for themselves. I mean, how could Hank Rearden or John Galt have gotten educated without the taxes that funded the public schools which they attended? Doesn't a public school system benefit Dagny Taggart as she hires competant engineers or conductors? Even though Dagny has no children of her own, by paying these taxe,, she recieves benefits as well.

[Mod's note: Merged with an earlier thread on taxes. - sN] I finished reading Atlas Shrugged recently and I was just wondering, did Rand oppose all taxes? I know, in the novel, The pirate ("Danes gold", not sure of the spelling of his name) pays Rearden for all of the (income?) tax that he has payed in his life. Was Rand just opposed to the income tax, (Her justification is obvious), or was she against all taxes, as I feel that other taxes are rationally justified, (school tax, property tax).

The one thing that I was disappointed with was the almost-psychic abilities that the Chancellor had. He was able to predict people's actions so well that he precipitated the whole war, the fall of the jedi, and his own rise to power. I thought that this was very fake, and very unbelieveable, definitely not rational. I also thought that Anakin's fallw as very fake. When he is told by Palpatine that Palpatine is the Sith Lord, what does he expect when he goes and tells the Jedi Council. Does he really think that they are going to take a Sith Lord to trial, lik the way he took Dooku... But then again, in a world where people ride on giant annoying screaming lizards, and altruists fight collectivist dictators, these flaws were quite minor.

Personally, I have never felt that Roark's buildings were based on Wright's. Wright pioneered the "Prairie Style", which emphasized that a building should blend in with its surroundings. Many of his "Prairie houses" were meant to be nothing more than the rolling hills of the Great plains, which is not quite the style Roark utilized. Also, "Fallingwater", probably Wright's most famous piece, was meant to blend in with the surroundings, its rectangular outcroppings were meant to be nothing more than jutting-out rocks, blending in with the waterfall. Last summer, I had the pleasure of visiting Wright's summer home "Taliesin West", out in Phoenix, Arizona. This building was also another seemingly inconspicuous construction; it was built of the stone surrounding the site, and Wright declined to use glass for the windows claiming that glass was too reflective, and there wasn't anything shiny in the desert. Also, he wished to move the city's power lines underground, as he felt that they ruined the beauty of nature. Wright strove to achieve a balance between nature and technology, a balance that Howard Roark did not even attempt to obtain. It is my opinion that Rand did not so much take the architectural style from Wright, but instead took his fiercely individualistic, uncompromising nature. (Wright once built a house for a woman who despised the color red. But as his favorite color was red, the house became red) Wright helped to break the mold, and served as a transition from the classical style of architecture to the more modern, functional style.

Hmm, whats the point of taking a personal test if you are trying to emulate someone else? Why would anyone want to be 100% Rand, copying, stealing her ideas and philosophy. One should try to seek out their own individual philosophy. Kant 97%!!!!!!!!!! Rand 75%!!!!!!!!!! 1. Jean-Paul Sartre (100%) Click here for info 2. Kant (97%) Click here for info 3. Spinoza (94%) Click here for info 4. Nietzsche (75%) Click here for info 5. Stoics (74%) Click here for info 6. Ayn Rand (73%) Click here for info 7. John Stuart Mill (73%) Click here for info 8. Epicureans (68%) Click here for info 9. Prescriptivism (68%) Click here for info 10. Jeremy Bentham (67%) Click here for info 11. David Hume (62%) Click here for info 12. Aquinas (55%) Click here for info 13. Aristotle (55%) Click here for info 14. Thomas Hobbes (55%) Click here for info 15. St. Augustine (44%) Click here for info 16. Ockham (41%) Click here for info 17. Plato (40%) Click here for info 18. Nel Noddings (19%) Click here for info 19. Cynics (18%) Click here for info