Paul Ryan, Ayn Rand, the New Right and Christianity

I don't think I have ever seen a more mismatched bunch. How can the "right" subscribe to the tenets of Christianity and at the same time adhere to the beliefs of rational self-interest, or what atheist, Ayn Rand called Objectivism? Shit, here's another term you might want to google: anarcho-capitalism. She liked this political philosophy best.

Anyone remember reading Ayn Rand in college? She's the newest hero for the "right." Sure she's been dead since 1982, but she is enjoying a resurgence among looney Republicans as of late. Our favorite loser vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan is a devout worshiper of Ayn Rand.

Ayn Rand

Did anyone tell Paul Ryan that his beloved Ayn Rand was a devout atheist? Does Mr. Ryan even know that in the 80's she denounced Ronald Reagan for mixing religion and politics and also criticized the president's views on abortion? How about the fact that she had been a staunch critic of the Vietnam war and argued that the US government had no right to regulate drugs?

Poor naive Paul Ryan; vice presidential loser. This self-professed roman-catholic gets to go back to congress, shouldn't he get laid-off? Ayn Rand would consider him a weak looser. We should make him stand in an unemployment line for a couple of weeks? I think it's bullshit he gets to run for two offices. I say if you are running for vice-president you shouldn't be running for congress as well. We should make it a rule.

Goofy looking catholic atheist lover

OK, enough of my selfish rant. Wait, wasn't Ayn Rand the one who, in her novels, made selfishness heroic, and caring for others a sign of weakness?

She was the ultimate pontificator of egoism and power-worship. Ayn Rand hated support for the poor and middle-class, just as the "new right" does today. She is often quoted by the "new right."

Consider Paul Ryan's latest catch-phrase, "...60% of Americans are takers not makers." Ayn Rand also referred to "takers" as parasites, looters and moochers.

Funny thing, some on the left claim that she received Social Security payments and Medicare benefits. Isn't that the ultimate selfish egoist. She was against you and me getting SS and Medicare, but SHE wasn't going to give it up.

How does Christianity fit into this? I don't see anything in common between the "new right" and Christianity. Full disclosure: I am a recovering catholic, commonly known as agnostic.

Let's start with Jesus, the "Christ" in Christianity, Did he not say we should take care of the feeble and the poor? Who was it who said: "...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." I seem to remember Jesus going into the temple and kicking all the money changers out in a whirlwind of rage. Need I go on?

The Bible has countless verses on social justice and the poor. The god of Abraham didn't care for poverty or oppression. Here's an example from the old testament:

Deuteronomy 15:7 "If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, rather be openhanded and freely lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be."

None of this sounds like Ayn Rand or the "new right." Shit, I don't know about you, but I am sure glad Paul Ryan isn't our new vice-president...

Education - Why Conservatives Hate Public Education

The short answer: If everyone in the United States were educated, who would be willing to fry our french-fries at McDonald's?

America's corporate realm doesn't just need simpleminded consumers to purchase their wares and services, they need uneducated blue collar workers satisfied with a measly salary, slightly above the poverty level, and content with a pathetic collection of "benefits" that costs them a large chunk of their income. 

Well, that's if they can secure a job in the first place, but lets not go there; this diatribe is about education not unemployment.

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry said it best during his debate meltdown. "I would do away with Education, the um, Commerce, and let's see. I can't think of the third one..." What a moron - don't get me started with this intellectual Lilliputian.

The well-to-do in this country would rather not have their son Jonny or Todd compete for higher education with the likes of Jose and Tyrone or Maria and Takweesha.


The affluent 1% of our population isn't interested in footing the bill for public education, their heirs will never see the inside of a public school. Their children are guaranteed attendance in the most elite private schools. 

I understand the rich man's dilemma; why would anyone want to pay to educate a social climber that is going to compete with their progeny?


Who would benefit if 99% of the population were just a bunch of un-educated shmoes?  Content on spending all our hard earned money on frivolous crap we get at Walmart or Ikea. Spending our every waking hour playing pointless video games, doing whatever people do on Facebook or watching television, where we can be bombarded by advertising so we can buy more shit that we don't need, because we're too stupid to realize there should be more to life than working till you die just to keep your head above water.

One percent-ers would rather you dropout of public school, which is very likely for thousands of minorities every year. According to the Institute of Education Sciences, US dropout rates have been declining since 1980, although Hispanics still dropout in more numbers than Whites and African Americans.

It makes sense, most Hispanics come here with no education in search of jobs. Many of their children are not taught the importance of having an advanced degree.  Shit, who can even afford an education these days? Not the 99%.

If you're diligent enough, and work hard enough to get good grades in high school and your lucky enough to get accepted to a good university by the time you get your degree you will have so much college debt that you will be in the hole for years, according to Alliance Bernstein Investments, even decades after graduation.

This is all well and dandy for the 1%, they can afford to send their kids to Harvard or Yale. They sure don't mind you racking up debt getting your education. More than likely you won't get a job in your degree anyway, and you'll have to work in some measly job making barely enough money to pay back your loan and still live just above the poverty level.

If everyone got a good eduction we might change the political demographic map. It seems most college educated white-collar professional are liberals. According to a survey by UCLA, among academia and highly educated intellectuals the numbers show only 18%  are conservatives. Scientists, 55% liberals and only 6% Republican.

There's hope. It may be an uphill battle for us in the 99% to get an education, but we don't have a choice.

Who Benefits from The Conservative Agenda?

First let's explore how many conservatives there are in the US.

As of 2010, Gallup polling found that 31% of Americans identified themselves as Democrats, 29% as Republicans, and 38% as independents. If we agree that Republicans and a fair amount of Independents also consider themselves conservative, then the number is >29%

Are all conservatives filthy-rich? According to recent studies corroborated by sources including Professor G. William Domhoff of the Sociology Dept. at the University of California, most of the wealth in the US is concentrated in the hands of one percent of the population.  This means, in no uncertain terms, that not all conservatives are mega-wealthy. 

Why does 29% or more of the US population share the ideology of the rich and powerful one percent? Fuck if I know, but they do. 

Let's explore the conservative agenda. 

1) Conservatives are anti-regulation. How does eliminating regulations benefit the 99%? It doesn't. Regulations are enacted primarily to protect citizens from large corporations who's only reason to exist is to make profit. Corporations do not have a conscience. They have been given the rights of personhood, but lack principles or moral judgment.

Regulations prevent companies from making money. Really? Does anyone in there right-mind think a little regulation will get in the way of making money? Please. Here's something you'll never hear: "...let's stop making that profitable item we sell to millions, because they won't let us dump chromium into the water supply."

OK, it might cut into your profits to dispose of some nasty chemical safely, or to buy protective gear for your employees. Regulations are just the price of doing business. If regulations cut into your profits excessively, then maybe you should consider a different business model.

I don't know about you, but I would rather not have to drink chromium in my water or have to inhale lead or un-burned hydrocarbons or any of the many regulated toxins into my lungs.

Still some argue that regulations hurt "job creation." How? Does anyone in their right mind think that a company is not going to hire people if they need them? Companies don't hire people because they want to, they hire them only when they need them. Regulations have nothing to do with hiring.

You know that in many cases the single largest expense for most companies is labor. Trust me if businesses could get away with doing what they do without people they would. They do. In fact this is the reason we have such high unemployment, and why companies outsource.

American corporations and businesses have been hurting during this recession, so they have been downsizing. If you get rid of as many employees as you can, make the ones you keep double their production output, you're going to increase profits. Oops, you're also going to increase unemployment. Who cares about unemployment? The 99% cares. The one percent-ers? Fuck no.

Conservatives would rather let corporations do whatever they want - self regulate, that's what got us in this recession in the first place. Decades of rolling back regulations allowed the finacial markets to make a great big mess of things. Did the 99% benefit from this long period of de-regulation? Fuck no. Did the rich one percent? Fuck yes.

The income disparity between the 99% and one percent-ers has been climbing steady since President Reagan was in office. Again the beneficiaries are the one percent-ers.

2) Conservatives hate social services. How does eliminating social services benefit the 99%? It doesn't. Social services are created by the government to help citizens in need. The one percent-ers don't care about providing basic care for seniors, or providing essential human services for those who are least able to help themselves.

Here's something I can't come to terms with; seniors on social security and medicare that are also conservative Republicans. There is nothing more socialist, left-leaning, almost communistic than these entitlements, but I bet that 99% of conservative seniors don't want anyone messing with their social security or medicare.

3) Conservatives worry about the deficit. Really? Who loves to spend the big bucks on wars? Conservatives. Why do they like wars? Because of all the money the big defense contractors get to make while nobody is paying attention.

During the Bush years nobody had a fucking clue how much taxpayer money was being spent on our two wars. Would you like to guess how much we spend a month on both wars? A few million a month? Try $9.7 billion every month. We have spent more than one trillion two hundred and seventy billion four hundred million five hundred thousand dollars, last I checked. http://costofwar.com/en/

Nobody really gives a shit about the deficit. Historically, it goes up and down and is usually offset by GDP. Everyone talks about how the Chinese own us because we owe them so much. Remember back in the late 70s and early 80s they were saying Japan owned us. Now look at Japan. ( China owns less than 10% of our debt, We own 69.7% of US debt - according to the US Treasury Dept.) Most righties just show you the "foreign owned" debt pie, and never include how much we own.

4) Conservatives love Ronald Reagan as much as they love tax cuts. Why? He seemed like a senile old man to me. During his first term Ronald Reagan slashed taxes and spent record amounts on defense creating a spiraling deficit and unemployment of 11 percent by 1982. He also cut social services dramatically. You remember seeing any homeless people around before Reagan?

Saint Ronald Reagan "The Gipper" - Patron Saint of  The Homeless

Oh yeah, the economy recovered under Reagan. Not because of anything he did, but because the price of oil sharply declined due to increased production levels by OPEC. I remember the eighties, what a fucking mess. By the way - Reagan raised taxes after 1982 twelve times through his two terms in office.

Tax cuts benefit the rich. Here's a nice little example I found at Mother Jones. It compares the tax rate of a Janitor to a millionaire:

The conservative mantra: Cut taxes and we will see job growth. Really! Where are all the jobs that were created during all these tax cuts?? President Obama has not raised taxes once!!  Bill Clinton was the last president to raise taxes and he presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in American history. 

I haven't even skimmed the surface, we can go on and on talking about how the conservative agenda mainly benefits the one percent of our population, and still, I am confused.

Someone please explain why >29% of Americans have a blind loyalty to the big corporations and the filthy-rich one percent-ers? I just don't get it.