Questions For the Objectivist

This first question will provide me with a clearer picture of the mindset of an Objectivist. When faced with a difficult practical problem challenging Objectivism, how likely is the Objectivist to first blame the government? If it can be demonstrated that the government plays little to no role in the challenge, how likely is the Objectivist to blame the problem on the social/political/economic status quo, the most important being the economic system and the level and type of education of the population in their country? If the answer is "It is Highly Likely" to the first and the second question, I would be tempted to accuse the Objectivist of championing a system which will only work in its pristine, ideal state. If this is so, Objectivists should stop appealing to an ideal time in American history when an Objectivist could live his life the freest because there was never any such ideal. The only ideal exists in the mind of the Objectivist. And how would that idealism be different from religious idealism? It's like a religious ideal without god. If the answer does not involve blaming the government or the absence of the ideal environment and levels of education of the population, then I have the following questions:

Does Objectivism survive rigorous academic scrutiny in current philosophical literature?

How can a philosophical system maintain a closed status and not become an atheistic cult?

Does it bother Objectivists that there is a high percentage of fundamentalist Christians in the Tea Party?

Does it bother Objectivists that the US political party most closely aligned with their ideology (Tea Party Republicans) exhibit a distrust of academic pursuits and scientific inquiry in favor of simplistic explanations about how the world works?

What is appropriate recourse against a corporation whose owners/employees have been convicted of intentionally harming individuals?

How confident are Objectivists that if we removed social safety nets that individuals would fill the role of caring for those in need? If the number of individuals filling in those roles is insufficient to meet the need, would Objectivists be content with people dying in the streets?

How confident are Objectivists in the idea of Man as an economic being in an environment stripped of government interference  as one who will rationally maximize his utility as both a producer and consumer while still maintaining his humanity?

What is the Objectivist stance on weak paternalism?