The video of presidential hopeful Mitt Romney castigating 47% of Americans which surfaced from the murky depths of the internets a couple weeks ago seemed certain to permanently damage his campaign. Romney tried to tap dance and claim his points were "ineloguently stated". Running mate Paul Ryan characterized it as a "misstep".

Another video has emerged, this one of Ryan and 1 year old. In it, Ryan claims 30% of Americans want a welfare state:

He is referring to the 47% when he refers to the "takers". To him, to Romney, and to a lot of Republicans, if you aren't paying taxes or are getting back more than you pay in, you are a "taker", not a "maker".

• So people in the military are "takers".


• Rich people who use tax loopholes and end up paying no taxes (Mitt?) are "takers".


• Oil companies that get subsidies which offset their tax liabilities are "takers".


• States (mostly "red") that pay less in taxes than they receive in monies from the Fed are "takers".


• Ryan - and anyone who works directly for the government - is a "taker" because he is getting more tax dollars (in salary) than he is putting in.

What I find more frustrating and disturbing in this mindset, however, is using money and/or taxes as the definition of who is a "taker" and who is a "maker". If a person works a menial manufacturing job, and has a mortgage deduction (and other tax "loopholes" - which the Repbublicans want to eliminate), he may - assuming a low hourly rate - pay little to no taxes. Is he not a "maker"?? How about the head of the company who simply delegates responsibility to underlings and pulls in a huge salary with benefits. How exactly is HE a "maker", especially when you compare his labors to that of the bottom rung of his company who toil for his benefit?

In Romney/Ryan world, wealth is a sign of being a "maker". It's a virtue unto itself. If you are not wealthy and/or not paying taxes, you are a "taker", a non-contributer, a sloth, a pox on the body of America itself.

Romney and Ryan both claim to be religious men, and claim their Christian (or ostensibly "Christian-based") religion drives their morality. Yet Christ himself decried wealth. Christ drove the money-changers (bankers) from the temple.

This viewpoint is heavily influenced by the Ayn Rand philosphy - who was a "taker" herself at certain points of her life. Paul Ryan has previously recanted his fealty to Ayn Rand and may claim that his morality is influenced by his faith, but his words betray his true alliance. He believes that Wealth = Moral, Poor = Immoral.

Money is the new morality. Amen and pass the bankbook.