"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." Wisconsin Republican Budget Guru Paul Ryan who also requires his staff to read the Libertarian Bible, Atlas Shrugged.
The "constitution" part of this more than disgusting movement is Ayn Rand’s "The Virtue of Selfishness" which touts the moral high ground of not giving a crap about anyone but oneself. Of course this may well be the high ground at the Mall, but I question whether governments should also work under the same process of what pair of jeans makes our asses look best?
There is a lot of Ayn Rand looneytarianism in the Tea Party. In fact if you put it to a Tea Bagger poll, there is little doubt that the darlings on top would be the father son Duo of Death – Ron and Rand Paul. Who don’t need no stinkin’ budget deficit to shut down the government, but want to shut it down no matter yesterday today and tomorrow.
Over the past 20 years I have come to realize the real horror in American politics is not the Religious Right (Evangelical Christianity) after all, but rather this growing Libertarian philosophy that puts selfish callous disregard for others as the moral high ground. And for some strange reason is also embraced by American Christianity.
Sure Evangelical Christianity is silly and filled mostly with morons who are consumed by sexual intolerance, but all and all they do not affect that many Americans. Mostly gays, pregnant women, a bit of censorship here and there and trying – but failing – to dumb down the rest of us to their level of ignorance. All in all they are out to screw less than 10% of the American population.
On the other hand, the Ayn Rand Libertarians want to eliminate Social Security, Medicare, EPA, Medicaid, the IRS, the income tax, Unemployment Comp, Departments of Energy, Education, Housing, Welfare, the United Nations, privatize all parks, prisons, roads, schools and of course revert back to the pre Civil War concept of State’s Rights.
Eliminating taxes on the wealthy while tossing the rest – moochers and deadbeats – to the wolves of pure capitalism. As Thomas Paine said so well, Give me All the money or give me Death.
All that unethical, immoral and disgusting crap presented by unethical, immoral and disgusting people hurts upwards of 90% of Americans. Nine TIMES as bad as Evangelical Christianity.
Was it Dumas? "All for one and none for all!"