Comments on: Ryan and the Poor: YOYO vs. WITT

By: procopius

procopius — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 01:31:08 +0000

I thought the tone of the Times’ editorial was hilarious. Clearly, they think that it is remarkable that the Catholic bishops would object to mistreatment of the poor and vulnerable, so their objection is a mark of just how extreme Ryan’s proposal is. I have a similar opinion of the Catholic bishops, but I’m an agnostic, leaning toward Buddhism, and have strong negative feelings toward the Catholic establishment.

By: ramsey

ramsey — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:23:58 +0000

Okay, but YOYO-WITT is a continuum, not a binary choice. Nobody is advocating pure YOYO (anarcho-libertarianism), just like nobody is advocating pure WITT (communism). The question is what’s better at the margin.

Nothing in Romney’s rhetoric or record indicates he’s a hardcore libertarian. He picked Ryan to help secure his base, precisely because they suspect that he’s really a moderate.

I think they’re right. This election isn’t between two different philosophies of government. It’s between two pragmatic moderates. Do you want the serial liar with the successful business career, or the likeable and rhetorically skilled incumbent with the bad economy?

By: Rima Regas

Rima Regas — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 21:19:04 +0000

The Nuns On the Bus tour is about to get renewed prominence in the news cycle and may stay there through Election Day. It’ll be interesting to see if the Bishops get back into the fray. This is Ryan’s Achilles’ heel, as far as I’m concerned. He cannot self-identify as both a Catholic and an Ayn Randian at the same time. Cannot.

The nuns and Bishops have always been active politically, and with so much misery out there (after all the economy affects the church too), they’re out to get Ryan. He’s a threat to Catholicism in America, if he rises to VP status and gains even more national attention. His economic views clash with Catholic Canon.

The Church has always been vocal about wars and the death penalty. Neither is a threat to it as directly as Ryan’s policies and underlying views.

By: Charles Bean

Charles Bean — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 21:09:11 +0000

You would think the Catholic Church would address the high amount spent within the Pentagon. Telling some one that cuts to low income support programs as they did is only have the job. Without them addressing the military, it is difficult for me to place any value in what they say.

By: Joe Sixpack

Joe Sixpack — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 17:29:57 +0000

Jared,
Of all the columns I have seen, this gets close to one that I never see discussed and should be.

We all say education is good, it can help lead to a better job. That is true, but what of that job’s replacement. For instance, say that a janitor works hard, goes to school or job training, and learns to become an IT professional. Good for that person. But someone will have to replace that janitor, because that is a job that needs to be done. Every enterprise needs people to clean the office building.

So as a matter of social contract, what should that janitor have in terms of health care, housing, food, eduction, and retirement security: the necessities of a stable society?

All full time jobs should be able to pay a living wage. Even the low skilled ones. People in them work hard too. It is a right wing canard that they are lazy. You see them saying this, because they cannot acknowledge that people in non-skilled jobs work hard too.

Its great to have education so people can do better jobs. But we need to have people do those jobs which they presumably would be promoted out of.

What do they deserve?