I agree with the man: it should be about ideas

I advise everyone to sign up for Speaker Paul Ryan's updates. He is one of the most sensible people in the top levels of government in our country right now. It is very refreshing to read the things he communicates each day.



Reminds me of a quote: "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." True. Often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, this proverb is probably much older.

I'm with Paul Ryan

Paul Ryan put it best in describing where I am right now with regard to Donald Trump.

Ryan's position makes him the highest-level GOP official to reject Trump since the real estate mogul became the last candidate standing in the party's nominating contest. His move gives down-ballot Republicans cover to hold off on supporting Trump. It could also keep his agenda in the House from being overtaken by Trump's policy positions.

Ryan said he hopes to eventually back Trump and "to be a part of this unifying process." The first moves, though, must come from Trump, he said.

Ryan said he wants Trump to unify "all wings of the Republican Party and the conservative movement" and then run a campaign that will allow Americans to "have something that they're proud to support and proud to be a part of."

"And we've got a ways to go from here to there," Ryan said.

I have felt recently like I might be in the #NeverTrump camp. But the key word is felt. When I actually think about it, I'm more like #NotYetTrump. I think he has some work he still needs to do in order to prove that I would be voting for a grown-up in November and not a spoiled brat. Like, for example, he could have started off better by not telling me that he doesn't want my vote and the votes of those like me.

Now I know that we've started having heated discussions over here about this topic. And that is fine. Let's just continue to be respectful. Let me just say now that a decision not to vote for anyone is just that—a vote for not anyone.

Paul Ryan: "I may get audited for approving this message"

Love it.



Hey, man, 2016: Run, Paul, run!

Paul Ryan delivers clarity as always

From the National Organization for Marriage's Blog.

Catholics for Romney/Ryan Message

Marching toward victory

Stanley K on debate #2. Excerpt:

The core dynamic here is that Romney has proven himself to be a perfectly acceptable alternative to Obama. The silly portrayal of Romney in all those negative ads has been exploded. Obama’s inevitability is gone. The underlying state of the country, which is not at all good, has become the issue. All of that is bad for Obama and very good for Romney.>

Nuns in the tank

I get emails from Progress Ohio, a far left PAC who somehow has my email address. It's good to read these emails both for the inadvertent humor content and also to see what the enemies of truth, justice and sensibility are up to.

The other day they sent me an email promoting a very silly group called Nuns on the Bus which is currently touring Ohio. They put up a blog post about it too. They are condemning "immoral budgets" and promoting a "faithful budget" which, when translated, means more government spending of taxpayer money on everything.

I think that Luke 11:46 might apply here. "...you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers."

Here's the picture and text from the email.

Join Catholic Sisters in calling on our leaders to protect people who are struggling and calling on all Ohioans to vote our values.

Sisters from across Ohio are traveling 1,000 miles to lift up people who would be harmed by immoral budget cuts and the need for a faithful budget that affirms the life of all God's children.

As they hold up the core values of solidarity, justice and the common good, they will remind us "We are in this together - in Ohio."

Here is a short summary of why this is so pathetic. A non-smiling elderly nun dressed in a habit can cut an imposing figure if she speaks calmly and with authority. But senior citizen nuns wearing street clothes and angrily spitting out liberal, big government talking points has engaged in the kind of self-diminishment that has got to but a smile on the devil's face.

If you mention the fact that abortion is legal in our country to these sisters they will immediately show signs of anger. Not anger that abortion entails the ripping apart of an innocent baby, but anger that you brought the subject up and reminded them that they are in the tank for the political party which has a vested interest in keeping abortion legal. They are far more offended by the "Ryan budget"—a proposal to cut wasteful government spending—than they are by abortion, and I can only conclude from this that they care more about money than human beings.

Whose views better represent Catholicism?

Everyone is bloviating about how Catholic Paul Ryan really is and how much of Ayn Rand's philosophy he buys into. As usual, Bill Donahue has the most clear and succinct analysis. And, it seems to me, the most Catholic.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the two Catholic vice presidential candidates:

In many respects, the Catholic community today is divided into pro-life and social justice camps. That is unfortunate, and while this division can be overstated, it remains true that most Catholic activists sit in either one camp or the other; cross-over Catholics are a rare breed.

Paul Ryan represents the pro-life wing, and Joe Biden represents the social justice wing. Indeed, both exemplify the differences, and not just on the issue of abortion. For example, Ryan’s idea of freedom of choice commits him to supporting school vouchers; Biden’s notion of choice commits him to abortion rights. Ryan is opposed to reinventing the institution of marriage; Biden wants to expand marriage to include two people of the same sex.

The Catholic Church opposes abortion and gay marriage. On both of these issues, Biden disagrees with the Church. Biden’s defenders, e.g., Catholics who identify with social justice concerns, argue that Ryan’s budgetary prescriptions make him the dissident Catholic; his ideas are said to hurt the poor. This assumes, however, that there is a clear Catholic teaching on what constitutes the best means to conquer poverty. There isn’t. For instance, fidelity to the Church’s preferential option for the poor can be realized by making a serious case to raise taxes, or to lower them. In effect, both Biden and Ryan can plausibly maintain that he is a champion of the poor. But only one, Ryan, can be identified as the champion of the unborn.

Not all policy issues are equal. Abortion is regarded by the Catholic Church as “intrinsically evil.” Moreover, the bishops’ conference has explicitly endorsed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. This puts Biden at a decisive disadvantage in making the case that he better represents Catholic teachings.

The key sentence: "This assumes, however, that there is a clear Catholic teaching on what constitutes the best means to conquer poverty. There isn’t." This needs to be repeated over and over again until Catholics get it through their heads that fiscal conservatism is completely compatible with a preferential option for the poor. If the economy contracts then rich people sit on their cash. The poor are hurt worst. This is self-evident; look around if you doubt. And while you're at it, compare the charitable giving of Republicans with that of Democrats.