Paul Ryan, Ayn Rand and the Gospel

We Don't Need No Stinking Logic!

Paul Ryan, Ayn Rand and Christianity

Paul Ryan is a Republican congressman from Wisconsin. But he's no ordinary Republican Congressman. He's the powerful Chairman of the most important committee in the U.S. House of Representatives -- the Budget Committee. That's right, his committee controls the purse strings of our government.

Not only that, he's also one of the party's shining stars. None other than the most prominent conservative columnist of our time, George Will, has lauded Ryan many times even saying Mitt Romney should pick him as his Vice Presidential running mate in the 2012 Presidential election. Paul Ryan is often mentioned (by Republicans) as a possible future President.

UPDATE: -- Now Ryan is the GOP VP Candidate!!

Paul Ryan is the brains behind the Republican party's tax, spending and budget policies. His budget, which cuts taxes for the rich and guts programs for the poor, recently passed the House of Representatives.

Congressman Ryan and his views perfectly represent the modern Republican party. It would be hard to find any Republican critical of him.

So, what does Ayn Rand have to do with this? Well, we talk lots about her at gospel and politics. Essentially she was a conservative political philosopher and her writings form the core intellectual and philosophical basis for the the views of conservatives and the modern Republican party which places individual liberty over community good.

The "Atlas Society" itself has said the Ryan - Republican budget is very much in line with the philosophy of Ayn Rand.

This should not be a surprise since Congressman Ryan is on record saying:

I just want to speak to you a little bit about Ayn Rand and what she meant to me in my life and the fight we're engaged here in Congress. I grew up on Ayn Rand.... 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. We start with Atlas Shrugged....

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....

You can't find another thinker or writer who did a better job of describing and laying out the moral case for capitalism than Ayn Rand.

It's so important that we go back to our roots to look at Ayn Rand's vision, her writings, to see what our girding, under-grounding principles are. Because there is no better place to find the moral case for capitalism and individualism than through Ayn Rand's writings.

Despite this, amazingly, just last week Paul Ryan said that it was an "urban legend" that he liked Ayn Rand. In fact, Ryan emphatically stated: "I reject her philosophy."

Why the about face on Ann Rand?

It appears likely that Ryan was nervous about embracing Atheist and pro-choice Ayn Rand after prominent Catholic leaders had criticized his budget proposal saying:

If Rep. Ryan thinks a budget that takes food and health care away from millions of vulnerable people upholds Catholic values, then he also probably believes Jesus was a tea partier who lectured the poor to stop being so lazy and work harder. This budget turns centuries of Catholic social teaching on its head. These Catholic leaders and many Catholics in the pews are tired of faith being misused to bless an immoral agenda.

Simply put, this budget is morally indefensible and betrays Catholic principles of solidarity, just taxation and a commitment to the common good. A budget that turns its back on the hungry, the elderly and the sick while giving more tax breaks to the wealthiest few can't be justified in Christian terms.

But, that still leaves the question of whether Paul Ryan agrees with Ann Rand's philosphy or not. Or, more specifically, since he's now on record going both ways, the real question is:

Was was Paul Ryan lying then or is he lying now?

And, why is he lying at all? Is it because his core political philosophy (conservative Republican) has been exposed as unChristian?

Read more about the Ryan budget (and how it hurts the poor) at the bottom of tax inequality in the U.S..

Here's a CNN article that discusses Paul Ryan's recent waffling on whether he is an Ayn Rand devotee or not. It appears he's recently become aware that his political ideology is inconsistent with his Christian faith and is struggling to reconcile the two contradictory "worldviews."

What Other Visitors Have Said:

Paul Ryan - Ayn Rand Video - by mojo

In short your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her call to selfishness and her antagonism toward religion are antithetical to the Gospel values of compassion and love.

Catholic Theologians' Letter to Congressman Paul Ryan

Here's a disturbing video to support what the letter said: