• • The Debate We Never Had 
Joseph A. Palermo, Huffington Post Paul Ryan  | Romney and Ryan, hermetically sealed in their Randian universe, seem oblivious to alternative views of American society. A more accurate understanding of social reality than their goofy "each-individual-is-a-island" notion is the one that sees all of us as being interconnected in a web of (voluntary and involuntary) associations and interactions without which we could not survive. Romney, Ryan and the entitled wealthy elite they represent, should be forced to recognize that every human-made commodity they consume or use has embedded within it social relations. Every time they turn on the tap or flush a toilet there's a vast social infrastructure that makes that possible; every time they drink a latte or gobble some sushi they're consuming the labor or hundreds of people, from the farm workers who plant and pick the vegetables, to the truckers who distribute them, to the servers who set the plate on the table. In the Romney-Ryan-Rand world these hard-working people are nothing but "takers" or "moochers" deserving no recognition for the jobs they do every workday that allow American society to function.   Published: 2012-10-03