Sometimes I read something so profoundly stupid, I have to share it

I ran across this column today on The Religion News Blog, which I check from time to time. The writer, Leonard Doyle, the foreign editor of Britain's "Independent" newspaper, has a profound misunderstanding of economics and even Christian doctrine. He has an obvious bent towards Socialism. He thinks that giving health care to every American citizen is in the best economic interest of every American. He seems to think that every time someone gets burned in a bad money deal that the rest of the citizenry should come to their rescue. NONE of that is in my best economic interest. Mr. Doyle also has no clue what Republican stand for. If he did, he would not attribute so much of what he says are conservative values to the GOP.

One question that I also wonder is one that he asked in his column. "Perhaps the greatest political riddle of the US is why so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests?" The very things he seems to think that we should do are the very things that are against our economic and social interests. To think otherwise is either so profoundly ignorant or just plain stupid that I am quite frankly perplexed at how someone like that could be a columnist...and that coming from a columnist.

Here is how this tripe starts in the column:

Why is it that millions of ordinary Americans vote for conservative policies that seem inimical to their lives? Why are the politicians who support healthcare reforms to give access to a doctor for the 47 million Americans without insurance branded as closet socialists or worse?

Why, in this upside-down world do so many blue-collar Americans vote Republican, and family farmers support a President whose Wall Street friends would gladly push them off the land?

Why do people shrug and say "tough", when they read that hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost their homes, after falling victims to crooked mortgage salesmen? The most common response is that millions of people who otherwise could never have afforded a home are now enjoying the American Dream.

Perhaps the greatest political riddle of the US is why so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests?

If it were otherwise, then surely John Edwards, the telegenic Democratic candidate for President would lead the polls since he has dedicated his campaign to lifting tens of millions out of poverty. Instead it is Hillary Clinton, whose economic policies might as well have been drafted by the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, who looks a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination.

So what's the matter with America?

The answer may be contained in the writings of the Russian emigree and radical libertarian philosopher Ayn Rand.

The very principles so impugned by Doyle are what have made America into the greatest economic, social, and health care power in the world today. And by the way, yes, I do have a copy of "Atlas Shrugged" on my book shelf.