I'm too religious to accept the elements of Ayn's Objectivist philosophy that preach putting what's good for oneself above doing what's good for others. My strong sense of personal charity and Christian will to aid and protect those less fortune than I keep me from accepting such selfish reasoning at face value. However, I'm far too much of a believer in the validity and strength of the free-market economic system and capitalism in general to dismiss all her teaching out of hand. In some ways, the supply-side economic policies championed so eloquently and successfully by President Reagan in the 1980's owe a lot to the Randian philosophy.
Basically, I'm of two minds on the matter, unless I can pick and choose from Randian philosophy at will. Either way, Ayn is to be appreciated for her clear vision and strong (and quite lonely) battle against communism and it's inherent repressive tendencies at a time when so many good novelists and poets fell for it's false, deceptively humanistic promises (example: Eugene O'Neill).
Ayn Rand was definitely not suggesting to do as the robbers in Luke 10:30. If the Samaritan did not respect himself as a person, he would have had nothing to give.
The poor you will have with you always.