“My View” from the June 27, 2012, edition of “Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer.”
You know I gotta say, it’s hard being both a Christian and a fan of Ayn Rand, because when you think about it, after the Bible peaks with the whole golden calf, that long-haired, antiwealth hippie guy — Jesus — shows up and ruins the whole thing.
Which brings me to Sen. Rand Paul of the great state of Kentucky. Now Sen. Paul is, of course, the son of Ron Paul, and he’s named after Libertarian icon Ayn Rand, who is one of his greatest heroes.
Ms. Rand believed in the inherent morality of unrestrained capitalism and the inherent evil of government regulations. If she had written “It’s A Wonderful Life,” it would have told the story of Free Market Hero Mr. Potter versus those bleeding-heart socialist Baileys.
But Sen. Paul also says he believes in a government based on Christian values. Although apparently not so much Christ’s values, ’cause he’s not into government helping the poor and that whole thing Jesus talked about.
And this week we learn that Sen. Rand Paul will block a measure extending FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program until he gets a vote on legislation that would declare that human life begins at the moment of fertilization — for bureaucrats to decide this for the rest of us.
See, Rand Paul really cares about life. He thinks life is so sacred and he cares about it so much, he’s willing to let a lot of lives be destroyed this year by floods.
Now, we need a healthy Libertarian presence in American politics. Libertarians challenge the status quo of both parties. And with Ron Paul leaving Congress, Rand Paul is set to become the most famous Libertarian-who’s-really-just-a-Republican in all of America. This guy could be running for president for the rest of our lives. But tacking these kinds of amendments onto bills without any connection to the subject of the bill itself is the sort of thing I thought Libertarians are supposed to be opposed to.
Now, Rand Paul won his Senate seat in Kentucky by promising to focus on jobs, jobs and jobs. And I guess this will please the evangelical base of donors, so it appears he’s focusing quite intensely on his own job, job, job.
But a few points for Sen. Rand Paul, if I may. Hurricanes aren’t gonna bother you this summer, but the rivers run high in Kentucky every fall and spring. Is this the gift you really want to give your constituents in an election year?
Also, sir, if life begins at conception, then I guess legally we gotta lower the drinking age to 20 years, 3 months, am I right? So maybe this is just your plan to finally win the youth vote.
And last but not least, let me say this: “Abortion is a moral right — which should be left to the sole discretion of the woman involved; morally, nothing other than her wish in the matter is to be considered. Who can conceivably have the right to dictate to her what disposition she is to make of the functions of her own body?”
Actually, I didn’t say that, Ayn Rand did. Ayn Rand, in case you didn’t know, despised religion — hated religious people even more.
And that’s the problem both Rand Paul and his father, Ron, have. And there’s a lot about these gentlemen I like. Look, you’re allowed to be opposed to abortion and do whatever you can in this free country to get those laws overturned. Go for it. You’re also allowed to say government doesn’t work while being one of the reasons government doesn’t work. But I’ll tell you this right now, my friends — you are not allowed to follow Jesus and Ayn Rand. Because that’s like following both Gargamel and the Smurfs.
