An Open Letter to a Paul Ryan Fan

• Ignacio - the library is a pretty vague explanation of where you get your economic information. 

  My guess is that Fox/Federalist Society/Koch/American Enterprise Institute et al are tuning you into the economic posturings of people such as Ayn Rand and Ludwig Von Mises (the German economic school). 
  They do not provide any context for their ideas (such as Von Mises pandering to fascism as a support for total absolute capitalism). 
  This is filtered information designed to support ideas that are generally not supportable by facts, and that help the richest one percent while harming the rest of the country.  country.                                                                                                                                                                                                           

  Mainstream America heeds mainstream economists - such as the Americans Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman. Both are Nobel prize winners in economics (by contrast Von Mises could barely get a job when he came to America - and he was bosom buddies with Ayn Rand) Stiglitz won the 2002 Noble for describing market assymetry because market players have different levels and quality of information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stiglitz.                                                   Stiglitz wrote: "Whenever there are “externalities”—where the actions of an individual have impacts on others for which they do not pay or for which they are not compensated—markets will not work well. But recent research has shown that these externalities are pervasive, whenever there is imperfect information or imperfect risk markets—that is always. The real debate today is about finding the right balance between the market and government. Both are needed. They can each complement each other." If you really get your information from neutral sources, then you should be aware of Stiglitz and Krugman. Krugman has been repeatedly warning that the unemployment crisis is caused by lack of consumer demand (because of stagnant/sinking wages for the middle class and unemployment). Paul Ryan, following Rand and Von Mises, believes that the rich create jobs - not consumer demand. Actually the rich are sitting on enormous piles of wealth - the worsening economy has benefited them, executive bonuses and corporate profits are at all time highs. Tax breaks do not give them incentive to create jobs only consumer demand creates jobs. This is a vital point, which is why I dwell on it. I don't think it will convince you anyway but it may help other readers understand the core economic disagreement over Paul Ryan's budget engineering.
          Ryan favors cutting social safety net programs for the elderly - Social Security and Medicare, so he can give more money to corporate tax breaks. These are called tax expenditures and they are enormous - mind shattering. The United States gives away most of its wealth to corporations. Many of the biggest corporations don't pay a dime of state or federal tax while receiving enormous subsidies and tax breaks such as the Foreign Tax Credit and the Credit for Production of Nonconventional Fuels (See Env. Law Institute report "Estimating US Gov. Subsidies to Energy Sources - you won't find it on Fox News or the American Enterprise Institute). The rich and the largest corporations are not turning around and creating jobs in the United States. High unemployment and stagnant wages means there is low consumer demand in the United States - but there is growing consumer demand and rising wages in developing countries such as China and India. American corporations are thus creating jobs in China and India. Bottom line - cut the tax expenditures for corporate welfare - and stop pillaging Social Security and Medicare to fund corporate welfare. 
  
  All the best, 
  Maria

Jesus Christ or Ayn Rand - The economic conservative's conflict

      

Alan Greenspan, Ayn Rand follower and former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, uses a passerby's back to write a note May 19, 2011 inside Union Station, Washington D.C. 

      Many Republican Conservatives claim to be very religious - they spouse the evangelical Christian faith or publicly embrace traditional values.   This crowd has really taken to Ayn Rand lately.  Rand was known for writing racy novels and "The Virtue of Selfishness."  She isn't taken seriously by philosophers, although she did try to create a philosophy based on selfishness, which she called "objectivism."  Rand used objectivism to promote her belief in unregulated markets and total laissez-faire free market capitalism.

      Followers of Rand's objectivism believe if their actions benefit themselves, it is morally acceptable. Objectivism gives people permission to be utterly irresponsible for others. As Cain once asked "Am I my brother's keeper." Rand's answer is a resounding no. 

     I thought it might be helpful for conservatives to see the contrast between the teachings of Jesus on self, money, and the concept of eternal life with those of Ayn Rand.  Christ seems beyond politics. I would not hang a label on him. He is neither conservative nor liberal. Yet his teachings make it clear that we are our brother's keeper.  

The values of Jesus Christ vs. The values of Ayn Rand

Topic	Ayn Rand wrote:	Jesus Christ says:
Ego	“I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” (Atlas Shrugged)	“I am not seeking glory for myself” John 8:50 “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:43-45.
Eternal Life	“Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves - or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth”	“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” John11:25 “What good can it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? For what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24 “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am my servant will also be. My father will honor the one who serves me.” John 12: 26
Money	“Money is the barometer of a society's virtue.” “Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper's bell of an approaching looter.”	“Watch out. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:14 “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 “No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and serve the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despite the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Luke 16:15 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you will go hungry.”  Luke 6:24-25 “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:23
God	“Do you believe in God, Andrei? No. Neither do I. But that's a favorite question of mine. An upside-down question, you know. What do you mean? Well, if I asked people whether they believed in life, they'd never understand what I meant. It's a bad question. It can mean so much that it really means nothing. So I ask them if they believe in God. And if they say they do—then, I know they don't believe in life. Why? Because, you see, God—whatever anyone chooses to call God—is one's highest conception of the highest possible. And whoever places his highest conception above his own possibility thinks very little of himself and his life.”   Source: We The Living Part One Chapter 9	“God is spirit and his followers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

     How is Ayn Rand's philosophy of selfishness having an impact on our society today?  Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, embraced this philosophy and was a devoted personal acquaintance of Rand. (See "All the Devils are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis" by Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera, p.85)  Despite repeated warning about excess credit, the credit bubble,  and horrible abuses in mortgage lending, Greenspan declined to take any action.  Many of his decisions to avoid regulation can be attributed to his adherence to Rand's teachings.  Paul Ryan, the Republican trying to eviscerate Medicare for our seniors, is another of Rand's devotees.   Rand prioritized property rights equally with human rights.  In Rand's eyes, if humans suffer, so be it, they have to rescue themselves or perish.  Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, is a devotee (he has told a number of magazines and written about it in his autobiography), as is his wife Virginia, a Tea Party Queen and anti-universal health care lobbyist. 

     If anyone would like to add quotes or comparisons to the chart above, please feel free. Thanks.