Guess who else has a secret audiotape?
So remember when Mitt Romney produced his super secret, 14 year old audio recording of then State Senator Barack Obama announcing that he supported some wealth re-distribution with the aim of giving everyone a “fair shot?” The audio tape pretty much hit the ground with a dull thud. After all, Obama wasn’t really saying anything more radical than that he supported such things as public education, pre-natal care, garbage collection, police and firefighters (all tax funded programs which are, by definition, possible only thanks to income re-distribution).
Well, it turns out that another politician has an old audio tape floating around, and that man is a fella by the name of Paul Ryan. Only this tape is not quite as old. It’s from 2005, and it was delivered to a gathering of Ayn Rand followers. And if you suspect that Ryan’s not quite so hot on income-redistribution you’d be right. Listen in rapt wonder as Ryan explains that Social Security is “a collectivist system, a welfare transfer system” and issues a thinly veiled call for the program’s privatization:
Probably the most eye opening moment in this audio recording is the point in which Ryan euphemistically refers to this plan as “personalizing” Social Security. Both Ryan and his audience are practically beside themselves with glee, giggling at the wording which, too clever by half, will nonetheless allow them to put one over on the rubes. The common folk are simple, see, and easily fooled. They don’t want the Social Security system privatized? Well, no problem. We’ll just say that we’re “personalizing” it for them, instead. And who could argue with that? It’s like a license plate that reads 65N SXY, or a set of bath towels with your initials on them.
After listening to the tape you almost feel sorry for the pathetic 47% and just how easy it is to fool them… almost…
I’m going to take your word for what’s on the tape. I would rather poke my eyes out with forks than listen to Ryan’s grating voice.