....alas, I speak not of Barack Obama, but of another liberal Democrat, New York's Governor Paterson. In Washington yesterday (more on that in a moment), he spoke the gospel of arch-capitalist, arch-libertarian Ayn Rand like a true believer:
Paterson cited Rand, a libertarian icon, and her best-seller "The Fountainhead," noting the novel proclaimed that "our country, the greatest country in the world, was founded on the basis of individuals, where people were encouraged to adventure, not to be complacent; to be daring, not dormant; to prosper, not to plunder."
He went on to say that a failure to live by those principles, combined with a lack of transparency and governmental oversight, had "brought us to the point where our nation faces a downturn in its economy only rivaled by the Great Depression."
Very true, very true...but why was the good governor in Washington? Why, to ask for more taxpayer funds, of course!
...he sought billions of federal dollars to help the state cope with its massive looming deficits....
He called on Congress to consider a sharp hike in federal Medicaid payments to the states, along with increased unemployment-insurance benefits, infrastructure spending, and food-stamp benefits.
"We feel that food stamps are the best economy stimulus," Paterson said.
No, governor, jobs are the best economic stimulus. Jobs provided by businesses that have the money to grow, money that is not confiscated by government to pay for things like, say, "entitlements".
Well, at least he's halfway there. Maybe I should be irked that Paterson is invoking Rand for un-Randian ends, but I feel he is sincere, and understands the fallacy of some of the liberal ideology (now that he actually has to manage a state - maybe he should phone Barack Obama!). He's on the right path, and although he is stumbling a bit, I hope he follows it to its logical end.
And may many Democrats join him on the road...
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