Romney
Picks
Catholic V.P.
The Republican primary featured two
Catholics, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, who made some noise for the
nomination. Both lost to Mitt Romney, a
Mormon. Romney, of course, this weekend,
announced that his running mate will be Paul Ryan, a Catholic. Now I would not vote for someone simply
because he is a Catholic, or against someone simply because he is a Mormon, or
a Protestant, or whatever, but this weekend’s announcement is interesting to
take note of (particularly for a Catholic blog).
So who is Paul Ryan? The 42 year-old representative from Wisconsin
has served seven terms in Congress. He
is married with three children and is the chairman of the House Budget
Committee (we’ve all heard of the “Ryan budget”). Most importantly, he is solidly pro-life and
brings his faith to bear on his public life, faithfully defending the Church’s
teaching on social issues. He is also
one of the few actual adults currently serving in Washington, of either party.
What sets Ryan apart from the vast
majority of his fellow Congressmen is the respect and dignity with which he
serves. He is well liked, even by
Democrats, and has the capacity for intelligent debate on big issues without
vicious personal attacks (perhaps not something we’ll find familiar in a
Presidential campaign).
We will be hearing a lot about the “Ryan
budget” during this campaign. Some will
try to tap into our understanding that we must use our moral compass when we
vote to suggest that the fiscal restraint in the budget is a burden on the
vulnerable and is morally unacceptable. Do
not be fooled; Mr. Ryan is a morally upstanding man.
It is certainly fair to examine and criticize
the budget. As Catholics we can
certainly disagree on it without being unfaithful to our Catholic principles. However, the ads showing Mr. Ryan pushing old
ladies over a cliff are not only dishonest, they are despicable. Attempts to take a mature look at entitlement
reform that seeks to preserve Medicare for future generations are responsible,
not cruel. And the budget does not
threaten the health of senior citizens (unlike Obamacare). The current deficit spending is morally
indefensible and we should welcome any serious attempts to curb it.
It should also be pointed out that Mr.
Romney’s plan to extend the Bush tax cuts for everyone, if he keeps his promise
to get rid of loopholes, will bring in more tax revenue from the highest
earners. Not to mention that a recent
Ernst and Young study
showed that Mr. Obama’s proposed tax hikes on “the rich” would actually include
countless small business owners, and would cost just north of 700,000 jobs.
Now I am not qualified to debate all the
intricacies of both economic plans, and that is not my intent. My only purpose is to counter the lies we will
hear from some people (many who will be well-meaning) who will claim that as
Catholics we must oppose the Republican economic plan on moral grounds. Our Faith makes no such claim and on such
issues of prudence, the Church trusts us to use our intellect. Besides, as Catholics living in a country currently
enslaved to the culture of death, we do not have the luxury of voting based on
the economy to begin with.
