I just signed up for a full membership and changed my screen name from cg[the rest of my last name] to something that's not a variation of my name.

The reason for the change in screen name is people search for my name when they need help developing electronics. I don't keep my political views a secret, but I don't want them to come up in the top ten results on Google because it distracts from the topic of electronics development.

I am not even remotely close to being a Roark of the electronics world; that would be someone like Steve "the Woz" Wozniak. But I like electronics much more than public policy. Public policy is just an avocation and civic duty to keep things running so we can keep building new technologies and living life in peace.

I am an unusual example of a Rand fan who is also a liberal, if we have to use those labels. I would be a supported of the Democratic Freedom Caucus (DFC) if it weren't mostly defunct.

Probably a huge portion, well over 50%, of the US population would support Ayn Rand's ideas if they read the books. Unfortunately if you listen to Rand supporters, you might think Rand is another Republican commentator from history. We also attract more than our share of snide little jerks who are closer to a Rand villain, little Gail Wynands from the beginning of Fountainhead but minus the business success; someone was mean to them in the past, and now they feel compelled to control other people's ideas. It's okay that Rand attracts those people because it's a free country if people want to be snide. It's unfortunate, though, that it gives people the wrong idea about what Rand is about.