There is another type of altruism that Rand was very concerned to stamp out, namely the Auguste Comte type of idea that self-sacrifice is ethically mandatory and service to others is the only justification of a person’s existence. I have a comment about it that is presently caught in the filter. Not to repeat myself, but she felt that that type of thinking was the root of all dictatorship (because it took away people’s moral stature to say No to the State).

By the time she was done stamping it out, and justifying an individual’s right to live for his or her own sake, and being an atheist etc. etc. – perhaps you could take her in a narcissistic way. But I don’t find that to be a fair and accurate reading of her, and some of her followers have defined her concept of benevolence toward others as distinct from Auguste Comte altruism, and as one of the Objectivist virtues.

Gene, a wonderful organization that is completely volunteer run and uses 100% of donations for the troops is Operation Gratitude.
http://www.opgratitude.com/
Yeah, this is a little bit of self promotion. I’ve been volunteering there for over 5 years. It’s America at it’s best, and the joy we have brought to 450,000 servicemen and women is beyond description.

Maybe I’m not so altruistic after all.

Here’s Wikipedia, on altruism as a formal ethical or political doctrine:

The word “altruism” (French, altruisme, from autrui: “other people”…) was coined by Auguste Comte, the French founder of positivism… Comte says, in his Catechisme Positiviste [1], that: “[The] social point of view cannot tolerate the notion of rights, for such notion rests on individualism. We are born under a load of obligations of every kind… [Man must serve] Humanity, whose we are entirely.”

Rand wanted to destroy that kind of altruism specifically, seeing it as the root of totalitarian dictatorship. Because who then decides what is and is not appropriate “service to Humanity”? The State.

Maybe Ayn Rand had a point about altruism. Have you ever gone out of your way to help someone and find they keep asking for favors?

Altruism is a misunderstood concept. In ordinary language, we use it a bit incorrectly to mean any kind of regard for the welfare of others – be it rational or irrational, selfish or unselfish.

Rand advocated rational, “selfish” (or what we might call self-respecting; self-aware) regard for the welfare of others. You help people in accordance with their degree of importance to you, the fairness of their requests/expectations, and so forth. If someone you love has a reasonable request, of course you help them. You’d be an idiot not to. If someone you don’t love has an unreasonable request, you should certainly think twice about helping them.

I begin to wonder if they spend as much money in asking for money as they do in helping the people they claim they’re helping.

Some of them spend more. BTW, this a good resource for checking out how efficient charities are, with your dollars: http://www.charitynavigator.org
I don’t know if it covers political groups; if anyone knows of a similar site for political groups, please let me know.