Paul Ryan: Dangerous? by Jayesh Mehta
Rep. Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney‘s pick as vice presidential running mate, has used his position as chairman of the House Budget Committee to become one of the Republican Party’s most influential policymakers.
As architect of the GOP budget plan, Ryan pushes for tax cuts for both corporations and individuals. He advocates turning Medicare into a voucher program, shrinking food stamps and turning Medicaid into a block grant program that would turn power over to states. Slashing federal spending is at the heart of the proposal. He was also a big fan of Ayn Rand, although he disputes it.
Ryan is quoted as saying to the Atlas Society (a group dedicated to promoting Rand’s beliefs) in 2005, “I grew up reading Ayn Rand and it taught me quite a bit about who I am and what my value systems are and what my beliefs are. It’s inspired me so much that it’s required reading in my office for all my interns and my staff.”
He went on to say that “the reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand. And the fight we are in here, make no mistake about it, is a fight of individualism versus collectivism.”
Sounds pretty pro-Ayn Rand to me. But in April, he gave an interview to National Review in which he repudiated Rand entirely. In the interview, he called reports of his adherence to Rand’s views an “urban legend” and said that he was more deeply influenced by his Roman Catholic faith and by Thomas Aquinas.
The problem for most regarding Ayn Rand is that her belief’s go against many Christian beliefs. In fact, her writing is more materialistic, greed-oriented, and decadent living. Not good for the conservative right and the Tea Party.
He has had other contradictory statements/beliefs, such as flip-flopping on the Stimulus bills, Medicare, and the budget to name a few. This, in my opinion, makes him dangerous if he were to ever ascend to Presidency. He seems to have a perverted need to appease, not uncommon to politicians, but seemingly not as adept at giving the appearance of not being contradictory. How is that bad? Well, that means he would be a push-over, go with party lines, tell people what they want to hear, including foreign dignitaries. He is not strong in his beliefs, and that would be bad for us.
Jayesh.
