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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSad, sexless, lonely: This is the real Paul Ryan/Ayn Rand vision for your life
...But this whole incident is a reminder that what is wrong with Ryans libertarian-inflected conservatism goes far deeper than mere hypocrisy. In fact, Id argue that Ryan isnt really a hypocrite at all, but that this move to preserve his family time is a perfect distillation of the Ayn Rand-constructed worldview he has, where all the goodies are reserved for the elite and the rest of us can go hang. And by goodies, I dont just mean NFL tickets and first class plane tickets every weekend. Increasingly, the Republican worldview is one where even basic things like love, connection, and other basic human needs are being reclassified as privileges that should only be available to the wealthy.
Take, for instance, the great paradox of the so-called family values set, where they claim to be pro-life but also refuse to do a damn thing to take care of the lives they insist women bring into the world whether they like it or not. Republicans across the country are shuttering abortion clinics with pointless red tape. Now that theyve come so far on eliminating access to legal abortion, theyve turned their attention to cutting off access to affordable contraception and other non-abortion sexual health care, repeatedly calling for the elimination of funding that goes to pay for non-abortion services at Planned Parenthood. They have also waged war on the HHS for requiring that insurance plans cover contraception like they do other preventive health care services. If you take a look at the big picture, its clear that the end goal here is to make non-procreative sex a privilege available only to those who can pay cash for it.
But its also clear that Republicans really dont want the people who are cut off from reproductive health services to have children, either. Its not just that Republicans continually resist any efforts to make family and maternity leave available, even though getting leave is absolutely necessary for women who are giving birth and need to retain their jobs so they can feed their children. Paul Ryan is a big advocate for cutting food stamps, arguing that people need to work more if they want to eat. The only solution Ryan ever has for anything afflicting ordinary people is a demand that they work more hours, full stop, no debate about it.
In Paul Ryans America, you arent allowed to take care of your babies, but you arent supposed to have birth control or abortion to prevent babies, either. So what, exactly, are you supposed to do?
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You cant have sex without making babies and you cant have babies until youre privileged enough to take care of them without any help or family leave. Thats the vision Republicans have of life for the rest of us: Sad, sexless, and lonely, with no children or even romantic partner to share our lives. Which is just as well, because the only purpose to our lives is to work overtime for very little pay to make our bossesand their beautiful, pampered familieseven richer. (But hey, if you work hard enough, maybe youll one day make enough money to earn that sex and family life! Probably not, but keep plugging!) Paul Ryan isnt a hypocrite for rubbing our nose in the fact that he has a lovely home life that he would deny to so many people. Reminding us that hes a have and you are have-nots is what a self-appointed Galtian Übermensch is supposed to do.
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http://www.salon.com/2015/10/22/sad_sexless_lonely_this_is_the_real_paul_ryanayn_rand_vision_for_your_life/