Addressing Liberal Catholic Critics of Paul Ryan

If you frequent liberal blogs or have Roman Catholic friends, you may have run into some over-the-top articles decrying the evil influence of Ayn Rand on Paul Ryan and the Republican Party, in general. This all came to a head with the writing of a manifesto by liberal Catholics entitled, “On All of Our Shoulders.”

This, of course, is a laughable straw man put forth by the Left. Anyone in proximity to the internet can learn that Paul Ryan’s proposals are pretty weak sauce among true conservatives. Among other things, Paul Ryan’s budget proposal would only maybe balance the budget in 30 years.

Here is a sample from the manifesto being spread around by some very misguided Roman Catholics:

America is at a tipping point where the traditional commitment of our government to protecting and advancing the common good is in very real danger of being dismantled for generations.  Members of the “Tea Party,” libertarians, Ayn Rand followers and other proponents of small government have brought libertarian views of government into the mainstream; legitimating forms of social indifference.  After decades of anti-government rhetoric and “starve the beast” tax cuts, some even appear to exploit predictable fiscal problems to establish a privatized, libertarian order that reduces society to a collection of individuals and shrinks the common good to fit the outcomes achievable by private, for profit firms.  (On All of Our Shoulders.)

For those interested, here are two recent articles debunking this from Catholic writers:

Does Paul Ryan Threaten the Common Good? by Kenneth D. Whitehead

Liberal Catholic Critics of Paul Ryan Misread Catholic Social Thought by James Matthew Wilson

P.S. I hoped you recently nailed (or taped) Martin Luther’s 95 Theses on your Catholic friend’s door–seeing as yesterday was Reformation Day.