Paul Ryan defends GOP budget, addresses Catholic critics

House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., holds up a copy of his budget plan entitled "The Path to Prosperity," March 20, 2012, during a news conference on Capitol Hill.

/ AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

(CBS News) Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., argued on Thursday that his Catholic faith guided the budget he authored for the Republican Party, addressing criticism from Catholics who charge his budget unfairly targets the poor at the expense of the rich.

"The work I do as a Catholic holding office conforms to the social doctrine as best I can make of it," Ryan said. "What I have to say about the social doctrine of the Church is from the viewpoint of a Catholic in politics applying my understanding to the problems of the day."

Ryan delivered the Whittington Lecture at Georgetown University, a Jesuit school where 90 priests and members of the faculty sent him a letter on Wednesday accusing him of authoring a budget that "decimates food programs for struggling families, radically weakens protections for the elderly and sick, and gives more tax breaks to the wealthiest few."

"In short, your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ," the letter read. "Her call to selfishness and her antagonism toward religion are antithetical to the Gospel values of compassion and love."

But Ryan disavowed the philosopher in an interview with the National Review published on Thursday. "I reject her philosophy," he said. "It's an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview."

In his speech at Georgetown, Ryan defended the key points of his budget and argued that his personal thinking has been guided by the Catholic principles of "solidarity" and "subsidiarity." The latter principle emphasizes the importance of placing the duties of governing at a local level.

"Our budget offers a better path, consistent with the timeless principles of our nation's founding and, frankly, consistent with how I understand my Catholic faith," Ryan said. "We put our trust in people, not in government. Our budget incorporates subsidiarity by returning power to individuals, to families, and to communities."

The Georgetown priests and faculty, however, rejected this idea, arguing Ryan was "profoundly misreading Church teaching." Subsidiarity, they said, calls for solutions to be enacted at a community level when possible but also requires that the government step in when communities and local governments "face problems beyond their means to address such as economic crises, high unemployment, endemic poverty and hunger."

As Ryan spoke, about a dozen students who identified themselves as members of Occupy Georgetown gathered in the balcony of the school's Gaston Hall holding a large banner that read, "Stop the war on the poor." Outside, another dozen members of Catholics United, a non-profit charitable organization, had their own protest featuring a banner that asked, "Were you there when they crucified the poor?"

Father Thomas Reese, one of the authors of the Georgetown letter, said he was unconcerned about a possible precedent of clergy members telling politicians what to do.

"Catholic bishops don't run for political office. Catholic priests don't endorse candidates or endorse political parties. But I think we have an obligation, like the prophets in the Old Testament, to talk, to challenge people to be concerned about the widows and the orphans and the poor," Reese told reporters after the speech.

Ryan, who is among the potential vice presidential candidates for Mitt Romney, briefly mentioned his thoughts about the No. 2 job.

"I've got an important job where I am right now, I'm content with this job, I feel that America is in a very unique moment and we've got to get it right. And don't underestimate the importance of Congress," he said.

[loufoltzer]

I have decided that none of the Republican and Democrat budget plans to diminish the nation debt will work/sell. Something different is required.

I have a different plan that equally affects us all.

(1) A 1% cut across all areas of government spending and salaries (everyone) Freeze spending limits for seven years.
(2) A 1% increased personal tax on gross earnings for those earning $80K and more.
(3) A 1% Value tax on all purchases and leases; not including food

The proceeds of above all go against the national debt. No other impacts on existing programs to be impacted.

Take the capital gains tax to zero for one year to stimulate investment and only eligible if 50% is reinvested during that interval.
Raise the early entitlement age for SS to 65 immediately. Do not touch medicare or Presidents health care program . Give it time to prove itself one way or the other.

Lou Foltzer

[Maerzie]

Thank you, Father Thomas Reese and other authors of the "Georgetown letter", in your attempt to try to talk some sense into the selfish career-climbing blindness of Paul Ryan, who continues to masquerade as a "Catholic Christian", while encouraging the work of the devil. His budget has absolutely no sign of "Christ" or Christ's teaching anywhere in it! I applaud all you authors of this reprimand to Paul for publicly expressing your good example of TRUE Christianity, and in trying to quell the selfish power climb of this greedy phony, Paul Ryan, whose Christian education obviously went right over his head, without his absorbing any of it, except for his use of its pretense to attempt to gain his own benefit.

"Christian" is more than an advantageous, descriptive word! "Christian" is "living words and actions"! Paul Ryan isn't fooling anybody with his selfish, greedy budget, favoring the super-wealthy, at the expense of the poor and elderly!!

[TimeToEvolve]

How the heck does this greedy, Top 1% moron Ryan defend that POS. It's reverse Robin Hood again. Steal from the poor to give to the rich. Just how the Republicons and their corporate masters like it. And who cares who lives or dies or works or has health care or not.

[smehl1506]

"Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me." -- Jesus

That's the bottom line, Mr. Ryan. Your budget does not reflect that at all.

[Torch1952]

"I don't do squat for my brother living in a 10'X10 hut in Kenya." - Obama

[TimeToEvolve]

Who votes for radical slime like this Ryan? He and his bank of evil aliens have proven again and again they find Americans disgusting trash. They want to have the mostly worthless rich get even more while they balance the budget on the backs of the poor and middle class.

And all they want to do with the money is bomb and kill people who pose no threat to us but have "our" oil. Disgusting, slimewad, evil Republicon freaks.

[peace6348]

Ryan speaks with forked tongue.

[TimeToEvolve]

The nerve of this heathen fake religious freak. Ryan must be another evil alien off-spring (like Cheney). How else would you explain this degree of pure hatred of humans?

[OldProfessor]

The Georgetown University has displayed a very unusual strength of common purpose in making public their support of Sandra Fluke and condemnation of Rep. Paul Ryan's budget.

There are not many universities that exhibit that level of humanity and public service.

[marychgo]

Are there any Catholics in the U.S. who are committed to ALL of the moral and doctrinal teachings of the Church?

Republican Catholics like Ryan are adamant in defining the rights of a blastocyst as far more important than the rights of the woman in whose uterus that blastocyst resides, and think employers have an absolute right to deny their employees (whatever their religion) any coverage that might offend the employer's religious principles. But when the Pope or the U.S. bishops suggest that employees have a right to collective bargaining or that caring for "the least of these" is a moral obligation or that free-market fundamentalism isn't necessarily Jesus' favorite economic system, suddenly Catholic GOPers get very fond of the separation of Church and state.

[TimeToEvolve]

The absolute never of this hypocritical scum claiming to be religious. We can read you rich, sorry, greedy butt like a dime store novel. You aint foolin anyone except maybe for the people stupid enough to give you money.

[TimeToEvolve]

Don't even try to equate the Republicon Party represented by this evil clown Ryan that represents the greedy rich and hates American workers and the poor with the other side. The ONLY reason any right wingers get elected to any office is they have the money to brainwash the weak minded fools of America.

Name just one good thing the Republicons have done or want to do for the 99%. No they want to balance the budget on the backs of the poor as they increase welfare payments for the rich.