Paul Ryan and Donald Trump and the Ayn Rand philosophy of selfishness, divisiveness

Dorothy Parker wrote that Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, “is not a novel that should be thrown aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.”

Unfortunately, Paul Ryan did not hurl the poorly written Atlas Shrugged with great force.  Every decision he makes comes from Rand’s selfish philosophy:  that the “noblest activity” is to “pursue your own happiness as your highest moral aim.”

Paul Ryan thinks his noble purpose is Paul Ryan, something exemplified by his gathering of political power at the expense of both his constituents in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District and the rest of the Americans who have been denied important legislation because of the Speaker’s commitment to party politics and obstructing Democrats in general and President Obama in particular.

On the other hand, Ryan Solen, Paul Ryan’s Democrat opponent, has made his way in the world trying to do good for others. Solen served his country for eight years in the United States Army, including a deployment to Iraq. He puts his wife and four children ahead of himself and he is running for Congress not for political power but to help the nation in a meaningful way. In fact, his promise to the voters in the district is to work to enact term limits in Congress to prevent career politicians who legislate as a means to getting reelected. Solen proposes that House members serve six two-year terms for a total of twelve years and that Senators serve two six-year terms for the same total of twelve years. Ryan Solen has pledged to serve only twelve years in the House regardless of whether he is able to pass term limits.

Paul Ryan’s devotion to Rand is not news. What is news is that Donald Trump, too, describes himself as an Ayn Rand fan. He said The Fountainhead, “relates to business (and) beauty (and) life and inner emotions. That book relates to … everything.” That book that is, incidentally, shelved in the Fiction section.

Paul Ryan and Donald Trump’s perception of people are sadly identical. They believe in the divisive idea that there are only “looters” and “makers.”

Paul Ryan now tries to distance himself from Rand. He can’t. His most recent budget proposal is to cut food stamps to people in job training programs and higher education. He wants to cut benefits to the “looters”— veterans, the poor, the elderly, and the disabled. This is the opposite of how Ryan Solen plans to legislate. Solen is more concerned with, among other things, balancing the federal budget so that we can use the interest we had been playing towards improving our education system from kindergarten through college.

Paul Ryan wants to give the money to those who need it the least: the “makers”—the wealthy and his political donors.

Like Donald Trump, Paul Ryan cares only about Paul Ryan. The most important question in the November 8 election is not, “Who is John Galt?” Nor is the question, “Who is Donald Trump?”

The question is, “Who is Paul Ryan?”

Voters should consider that carefully and choose Ryan Solen who supports everyone.

About Ryan Solen

Ryan Solen is an Army veteran of the war in Iraq and is seeking to represent Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District. He is a Digital Forensic Specialist and Computer Security Analyst. He is a married father of four and enjoys reading, writing, doing karate with his family, and relieves stress with his vintage Lego collection.
He is the Wisconsin Democratic Party’s Nominee to run for the U.S. House of Representatives to replace Paul Ryan. For more information, please visit www.solenforcongress.com.

Committee to Elect Ryan Solen for Congress

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.