Disturbing article on Republican Agenda

Religion aside, this article is an extremely disturbing and eye opening piece of information that helps to expose just how far Republicans are taking their ideologies. If this ideology were to ever take full control over our country, God help us, the rich and ruthless would devour, and it would be, in my opinion, a bloodthirsty, remorseless end to mankind as we know it.....

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-06-03-Ayn_Rand_GOP_values_02_ST_N.htm

I'd love to hear feedback....and like I said....the religion part isn't inherent IMO, some may adhere to that part, some may not, I think either way is fine- isn't that part of what freedom is all about? And Rush Limbaugh- is there NO WAY to institutionalize him? I think he is one of the BIGGEST (no pun intended) toxins this nation has ever known.

 

Nice. Hence my opinion that the Rand type thought loved by the hard core right wingers is immoral. It appears as if they don't care if this country becomes a true 3rd world country and the sooner the better for them. And as long as people here put up with their self aggrandizing looting of the poor and middle classes,it will continue. Maybe someday--the populace will tire of it. The education system is not failing and/or out of reach for most by accident. An ignorant populace is a compliant populace. I wish I could understand how people can't SEE who they are,what they do,how they do what they do and what they want to accomplish. It's right up front for those that can see.

 

So true Scratcho!! The right wing is becoming more extremist than ever, and what many don't understand is they believe that the party is still fairly moderate- that the Rand type is strictly Libertarian- but this message, which is pure evil, is being insidiously spread throughout the party while people like Glenn Beck hypnotize and sooth the masses through overt lies- he will tell those who actually listen to his show how COMPASSIONATE he his and how people should be charitable to the poor while he completely supports the Libertarian message- sorry Beck, but those two concepts are a contradiction in terms. However, the way the Republican politicians and talkshow hosts intentionally decieve a naive public while they rub their hands together and plot for the upcoming election is truly despicable- I hope there is more exposure as to how the Republican Agenda is going to drive our nation into the cruelest game of survival and spite - I can see us ultimately becoming again what we inititally came to American to escape from- a world divided into two groups- nobility and indentured serfs or slaves- just terrifying.

 

I just saw on the news=Romney saying "we never cut medicare.No president ever cut medicare--except this one". That was done when Obama foolishly thought that there was any compromise at all to the repubs and did compromise some to try and actually get something done. Now they will turn it around so that it looks as if he's the chickenshit that cut medicare!!!They are absolutely immoral liars. I don't like to waste time hating anything or wishing ill upon anyone--but--------------I'm gettin' close. Until Obama or someone else with some plums lays out a progressive agenda--single payer medical--free(covered in the budget) education for all as far as they can go --out of wars NOW --NO FOREIGN AID except for disaster aid and anything else that will help this country---it's only going to get worse.----I'm reminded of that saying-----"something bad is going to happen. Then it's going to get worse. Then the worst of all will happen."

 

I’ve been countering right wing libertarians since I first came here 10 years ago and I predicted they would become more influential on the right after the fall of the neo-cons (way before the tea party got going).

And if you read about the development of political thought in the US you soon see that their ideas, attitudes and mentality are nothing new in the history American culture (frontier individualism, Social Darwinism, etc)

The question I’ve been trying to understand is why these ideas continue to be believed in when they don’t stand up to scrutiny and never seem to be able to be defended from criticism by its supporters.

So far the conclusion I’ve come to is that the ideas are so ingrained into at least parts of American culture as to have become a faith based belief system (like a religion) Something that is seen as beyond question or logic, with the opponents of it seen as ‘heretics’ who can be dismissed as ‘just not getting it’.

As you have both have commented the con game that’s being played out is obvious to those who look but it is like discussing creationism with a fundamentalist Christian, or the lunacy of Scientology to a true believer.

You could try reading “The Age of American Unreason” by Susan Jacoby that make the connection between the Spencer’s Social Darwinism and Rand’s Objectivism stance.

 

The trouble is that many look,but few see. Perplexing. People vote against their own interests.

 

I agree, I think some ideas are so ingrained that they can be looked at but can’t be seen for what they are, they don’t question because to them there isn’t anything to question.

You can explain to a creationist that stories in Genesis are just a myths built on and similar to several other ancient near eastern creation myths or point out to an ardent Scientologist that their supposed ‘religion’ is just a second rate science fiction story written by a hack science fiction writer with a desire to make money out of the gullible. But in both cases would they actually ‘see’ what you were showing them?

How do you counter a political view that isn’t based on the rational?

 

As I’ve said I think the ideas that are surfacing on the US right at the moment are nothing new, but just as Social Darwinist views were promoted by wealth so have right wing libertarian ideas.

In the last 30-40 years wealth seem to have intensified its assault on the American psyche, pushing and intensifying ideas that where there in the background.

The Heritage Foundation was founded in 1973 with initial funding provided by right wingers Joseph Coors of the Coors beer empire, and Richard Mellon Scaife heir of the Mellon industrial and banking fortune.

The Cato Institute was founded in 1977 by right wingers Edward H. Crane and thhe notorious Charles Koch billionaire co-owner of Koch Industries.

And the resent addition ‘Americans for Prosperity foundation’ founded in 2003 and is another Koch financed institution that has been promoting the Tea party Movement. Which was an off-shoot of the 1984 founded think tank ‘Citizens for a Sound Economy’ which was founded by the Koch brothers and financed by large corporations and industries.

And they are just the most recognised of the many wealth sponsored right wing think tanks and lobbying groups working tirelessly in the interests of those that feed them.

They produce the ‘ammunition’ in the form of reports and studies that are then fired out (much simplified and sloganised) at the public by the right wing media, such as Fox News and fellow travelling radio jocks.

A constant barrage of anti-government, neo-liberal right wing hogwash, that unfortunately has found a target.

 

You should check out 'Adam Curtis - Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace' it's really interesting

He makes a really good argument about the massive glaring errors in the Friedman/Rand philosophy that has taken over the right in America

The biggest glaring flaw with that philosophy is that every attempt to implement it has been a massive failure