[Biggirl]

Why all the attacks on Rep. Ryan?

[Mrs. Don-o]

The reason they're attacking Ryan is because Ryan is the first major voice on the national stage in my lifetime (at least to my knowledge) who has forcefully and intelligently put forward "fiscal soundness" "budgetary discipline" "living within financial limits" as elements of Catholic Social Judtice.

He's the only person using the magic word "subsidiarity," which is supposed to be a key element in Catholic thought --- this is the principle that large organizations should never usurp the responsibilities of smaller, simpler "intermediate" organizations which are capable of doing a task. You can see where this principle leads: away from the Centralized State and towards smaller, more local groups: families, parishes, townships, counties, voluntary associations, state govt., etc.

And he says this "as a Catholic."

So he's a one-man intellectual threat to the whole statist apparat which has long dominated charities and chanceries in Catholic America.

Bless his heart!