• • • Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan And Ayn Rand: Now That’s the Ticket 
Richard M. Salsman, Forbes Altruism  |Atheism  |Atlas Shrugged  |The Fountainhead  |Capitalism  |Egoism  |Individual Rights  |Individualism  |Paul Ryan  |Image  |Objectivist author  | Last March a group called Catholics United questioned “why Ryan, as a self-professed Catholic, would put the teachings of ultra-capitalist Ayn Rand, of whom he has spoken glowingly, before the teachings of Jesus and the Church.” Well, might the reason be that those teachings are so anti-capitalist, or for the same reason millions of “cafeteria Catholics,” in order to live and enjoy rational lives, must pick and choose from those teachings, making sure to jettison the (mostly) inane ones? No, says this group: the problem is that Rand rejects “self-sacrifice” (she does), a “core tenet of Christianity” (it is), and believes self-interest “should take the place of a higher power” (yes, it should). Last week, after Romney’s pick, the group issued a press release declaring that “Paul Ryan’s Priorities Reflect Teachings of Ayn Rand, Not Jesus Christ.” Well, they don’t, really, not perfectly (unfortunately), but the fact that this group is so bothered by Ryan speaks well of him.   Published: 2012-08-21