This is a common way that a totalitarian state can be implemented on top of an apparent democratic republic: pass so many laws (and contradictory / complex laws) that anyone can be found guilty of something, then enforce the law selectively.
"There's no way to rule innocent men.
The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals.
Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them.
One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws."
(From Atlas Shrugged -- Damn, it's bad when I of all people am quoting Ayn Rand).
She's completely misunderstood and misrepresented. There are countless examples of this.
In politics, she's seen as the epitome of all that is "right wing", whatever the Hell that means. Her ethics are disregarded as simple ignorant selfishness. It's easy to see why many would disagree with her.
Academia simply dismisses her. However, her ideas are becoming harder to ignore - they are important!
Highly recommend reading at least Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. Then pick up Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, Virtue of Selfishness, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, and the recently released Understanding Objectivism . UO is very good (it's useful/personal, down to earth), but requires familiarity with Objectivism.
Generally, people don't like her for lacking 'heart'. However, most people don't actually understand her message, nor do they appreciate her definition of selfishness.
It's very unfortunate because her writings were on the spot on about human behavior.
Rand is difficult for many people because her philosophy is essentially standalone; take it all or take none of it. You cannot really take one small lesson of Rand on its own - it always comes tightly bound to the premises it is derived from.
