Paul Ryan's extremism

Carl E. Olson offers a remarkable exposé, in "Paul Ryan's radical beliefs about budgets, politics, and society" (Catholic World Report, August 16, 2012):

This is, without doubt, brazen and even radical stuff, full of the sort of triumphalistic, jingoistic, and greedy rhetoric you expect from Republicans and conservatives. Brace yourself:

"[We] will confidently proceed to unshackle American enterprise and to free American labor, industrial leadership, and capital, to create an abundance that will outstrip any other system.

"Free competitive enterprise is the most creative and productive form of economic order that the world has seen. The recent slow pace of American growth is due not to the failure of our free economy but to the failure of our national leadership. ...

"Economic growth is the means whereby we improve the American standard of living and produce added tax resources for national security and essential public services. ...

"The American free enterprise system is one of the great achievements of the human mind and spirit. It has developed by a combination of the energetic efforts of working men and women, bold private initiative, the profit motive and wise public policy, until it is now the productive marvel of mankind. ...

"We will seek further tax reduction—and in the process we need to remove inequities in our present tax laws. In particular we should carefully review all our excise taxes and eliminate those that are obsolete. Consideration should be given to the development of fiscal policies which would provide revenue sources to hard-pressed state and local governments to assist them with their responsibilities.

"Every penny of Federal spending must be accounted for in terms of the strictest economy, efficiency and integrity. We pledge to continue a frugal government, getting a dollar's value for a dollar spent, and a government worthy of the citizen's confidence.

"Our goal is a balanced budget in a balanced economy."

Wow. That Ayn Rand-worshiping Ryan fellow is crazy!

Oh, wait. My apologies; the quotes above were all taken from the 1960 and 1964 Democratic Party Platforms. [emphasis added]

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[Hat tip to Mark Latkovic]