Are the ideologies of Marxism and the Ayn Rand inspired "Free Market" eerily similar?

You write: "Both suppose that the dynamics of the economy should supersede the relevancy of the individual."

But in agreeing with America's Founders on the subject of individual sovereignty, she wrote: "Individualism regards man—every man—as an independent, sovereign entity who possesses an inalienable right to his own life, a right derived from his nature as a rational being. Individualism holds that a civilized society, or any form of association, cooperation or peaceful coexistence among men, can be achieved only on the basis of the recognition of individual rights—and that a group, as such, has no rights other than the individual rights of its members." http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/individualism.ht...

You wrote that Rand's "ideology proposes that individuals that have no economic value should be allowed to perish as unnecessary and parasitic to the system." But she actually wrote:

"There are only two fundamental questions (or two aspects of the same question) that determine the nature of any social system: Does a social system recognize individual rights?—and: Does a social system ban physical force from human relationships? The answer to the second question is the practical implementation of the answer to the first." http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/social_system.ht...

She despised 'big business' as supported by legislated fiat: "In business, the rise of the welfare state froze the status quo, perpetuating the power of the big corporations of the pre-income-tax era, placing them beyond the competition of the tax-strangled newcomers. A similar process took place in the welfare state of the intellect. The results, in both fields, are the same." http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/welfare_state.ht...

She never said the innocently helpless are parasites who ought to die. What she did say was: "I regard compassion as proper only toward those who are innocent victims, but not toward those who are morally guilty." http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/compassion.html

As for the comparison between capitalism and Marxism, she said something you will find eye-opening, given that you seem to despise Rand:

"It is true that the welfare-statists are not socialists,

that they never advocated or intended the socialization of private property,

that they want to “preserve” private property—with government control of its use and disposal.

But that is the fundamental characteristic of fascism." http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/welfare_state.ht... [emphasis by splitting the clauses was mine, for the effect]

Fascism is not compatible with anything she wrote, and certainly not in light of the quote above about individualism.

In Rand's scheme of things every individual is provoked to be productive, he is given the chance to do so, and if he performs excellently he is rewarded.The dynamic at at play here is the uniqueness of the individual and his capacity to be productive, very different from the Marxist concept of the individual as the averaged person - featureless and perpetually leveled.

The man vs society thing is a little strange. Whether you set it up as "persons" fighting for freedom from the mass of undifferentiated people trying to keep them down, or the "people" fighting for freedom from the self-interested persons trying to keep them down, you're still losing sight of how we're all in this together.

I don't know what to make of those who express confidence in the "people" while decrying the evils of "society".

Isn't this all an interconnected thing? Can we really set ourselves apart as getting ahead by our own merit alone? Can we really blame a few persons for all the ills of society?

As Tool put it,

"Before you point your finger/

You should know that/

I'm The Man/

And if I'm The Man/

Then you're The Man/

And he's The Man as well so you can/

Point that ******' finger up your ***".

As spoke of by way of his answering zealots it might look so. Jim Jones' followers have been additionally outspoken, psychological midgets. Obama is an spectacular orator, regrettably so substitute into Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Peron, Hitler, Stalin, an as you pronounced cult leaders like Jones. those unhappy followers will proceed to attack or perhaps however people like Ferraro have been lifeless on with their comments the denial will proceed as they attempt to instruct how open minded their hypocrisy is.

An organized business collective of equal ownership competing on the free market...Marxist capitalism, it may have a future.

Yes, tragically both extreme leftism and extreme rightism have historically resulted in wholesale injustices as you describe.

Yes, Paul, in effect they are wearily similar

and it`s astute and timely of you to draw attention to same.