I think in his acceptance speech Mitt Romney was sincere when speaking about his family, but eventually went into the party goal to get rid of President Obama which Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell stated that historical evening their goal in 2008 was to make President Obama a one-term president. Then all we heard was how the country has not moved forward. How could we when members of congress who were part of the problem for years, like Boehner, Ryan and McConnell, refused to work for jobs, etc.? His last two points were very conflicting: we will be an America that takes care of the poor, sick, elderly, etc., and the referrals to war with Iran and being tough with Russia. I have grave concerns about Paul Ryan's budget which has been called immoral by the Catholic bishops.
I believe Jesus confronted the social structures of his day. ...He did not play by the rules of the "powerful" and eventually paid for it with his life. Jesus challenged the status quo of his time: rulers, governors, religious leaders, bureaucrats, and merchants were part of the privileged classes and owned most of the land.
The seven principles of social teaching of the church are based on the bible, papal letters, and documents from Vatican II.
1. Life and dignity of the human person.
2. Call to family, community, and participation.
3. Rights and responsibilities.
4. Option for the poor and vulnerable.
5. The dignity of work and the rights of workers.
6. Solidarity.
7. Care for God's creation.
It would take an extensive letter to explain all seven. It has been blatantly obvious since the elections of 2010 that some of the Republicans have been denying number 5 as evidenced in Wisconsin and Ohio (SB5). Now Congressman Ryan wants to cut funds for the poor and vulnerable (No. 4). I think I heard that Romney wants to cut subsidies for wind power but increase subsidies for fossil fuels (No. 7). In fact I heard him make fun of "rising sea level."
I haven't read her book, but I've learned Ayn Rand's ideas are that man is to take care of himself, only love self and not love someone who is weak. I think we would call this selfishness. The only purpose for government is to provide an army, a police force and courts. The "government" should be run by large corporations. I think we are becoming an oligarchy rather than a democracy. An oligarchy is a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; a government by the few.
That is why this election is so important. We need programs to help the poor and vulnerable, we need regulations on industry, businesses, and banks. We need to elect President Obama, Sherrod Brown and others who are working for the middle class.
Margaret Meeker
Williamstown
