Who needs Paul Ryan? I mean, we already have Joe Biden... right?

Hollywood's top political analists weigh in on Romney VP pick.

(V): Not quite half the page (mine is set at 50 messages per page), but you were close. By the way, I was only kidding about some of Arts messages taking up half the page... I didn't mean that literally.

Dear Rep. Paul Ryan,

Welcome to Georgetown University. We appreciate your willingness to talk about how Catholic social teaching can help inform effective policy in dealing with the urgent challenges facing our country. As members of an academic community at a Catholic university, we see your visit on April 26 for the Whittington Lecture as an opportunity to discuss Catholic social teaching and its role in public policy.

However, we would be remiss in our duty to you and our students if we did not challenge your continuing misuse of Catholic teaching to defend a budget plan that decimates food programs for struggling families, radically weakens protections for the elderly and sick, and gives more tax breaks to the wealthiest few. As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has wisely noted in several letters to Congress – “a just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons.” Catholic bishops recently wrote that “the House-passed budget resolution fails to meet these moral criteria.”

In short, your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her call to selfishness and her antagonism toward religion are antithetical to the Gospel values of compassion and love.

Cuts to anti-hunger programs have devastating consequences. Last year, one in six Americans lived below the official poverty level and over 46 million Americans – almost half of them children – used food stamps for basic nutrition. We also know how cuts in Pell Grants will make it difficult for low-income students to pursue their educations at colleges across the nation, including Georgetown. At a time when charities are strained to the breaking point and local governments have a hard time paying for essential services, the federal government must not walk away from the most vulnerable.

While you often appeal to Catholic teaching on “subsidiarity” as a rationale for gutting government programs, you are profoundly misreading Church teaching. Subsidiarity is not a free pass to dismantle government programs and abandon the poor to their own devices. This often misused Catholic principle cuts both ways. It calls for solutions to be enacted as close to the level of local communities as possible. But it also demands that higher levels of government provide help -- “subsidium”-- when communities and local governments face problems beyond their means to address such as economic crises, high unemployment, endemic poverty and hunger. According to Pope Benedict XVI: "Subsidiarity must remain closely linked to the principle of solidarity and vice versa.”

Along with this letter, we have included a copy of the Vatican's Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, commissioned by John Paul II, to help deepen your understanding of Catholic social teaching.

Respectfully,

Thomas J. Reese, S.J.
Senior Fellow
Woodstock Theological Center

Maurice Jackson
Associate Professor of History and African American Studies
Department of History

Angelyn Mitchell, PhD
Associate Professor of English and African American Studies
Department of English

Dolores R. Leckey
Senior Research Fellow
Woodstock Theological Center

Raymond B. Kemp
Senior Fellow
Woodstock Theological Center

Thomas Michel, S.J., Ph.D.
Senior Fellow
Woodstock Theological Center

Rita M. Rodriguez, MBA, PhD
Senior Fellow
Woodstock Theological Center

Hope LeGro
Director, Georgetown Languages
Georgetown University Press

Jackie Beilhart
Publicist
Georgetown University Press

John Langan, S.J.
Professor of Philosophy and Catholic Social Thought
Georgetown University

John F Haught, PhD
Senior Fellow
Woodstock Theological Center

Karen Stohr, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Senior Research Scholar, Kennedy Institute of Ethics
Department of Philosophy

Ilia Delio, OSF
Senior Fellow
Woodstock Theological Center

Joseph Schad, Mdiv
Chaplain, Mission and Pastoral Care
Georgetown University Hospital

J. Leon Hooper, S.J.
Director, Woodstock Library
Woodstock Theological Center Library

Joseph A. McCartin
Associate Professor of History; Director, Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor
Department of History

E. Hazel Denton, PhD
Adjunct Professor
School of Nursing and Health Studies

James Walsh, SJ, Phd
Associate Professor
Department of Theology

Scott Taylor
Associate Professor
School of Foreign Service

Sarah C Stiles, PhD, JD
Professor
Department of Sociology

Katherine Marshall, MPA
Visiting Assistant Professor
Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs

William C. McFadden, S.J.
Associate Professor of Theology
Georgetown University

Alan C. Mitchell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins
Georgetown University

Rev. Dr. Joseph Palacios
Adjunct Professor of Latin American Studies
Center for Latin American Studies

Julia A Lamm
Associate Professor of Theology
Theology Department

Peter C. Phan, Ph.D., D.D.
Professor of Catholic Social Thought
Georgetown University

William Rehg, SJ, PhD, MDiv, PhL, MA
Professor of Philosophy
Saint Louis University (visiting, Georgetown University)

Diana L. Hayes, JD, PhD, STD
Professor Emerita of Systematic Theology
Georgetown University

Edward Vacek, S.J.
Visiting Scholar
Woodstock Theological Center

Anthony Tambasco, PhD
Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Ethics
Theology Department

Mark Lance, PhD
Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Justice and Peace
Georgetown University

Robert J. Bies, PhD, MBA
Professor of Management
McDonough School of Management

Benjamin Bogin, PhD
Assistant Professor
Theology Department

John W. O'Malley, S.J., PhD
University Professor
Theology Department

Lauve H. Steenhuisen, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor
Theology Department

Linda Ferneyhough
Theology Dept. Administrator
Theology Department

Marilyn McMorrow
Visiting Assistant Professor International Relations and Political Theory
School of Foreign Service

Matthew Carnes, S.J., PhD
Assistant Professor of Government
Georgetown University

Diana Owen, PhD
Associate Professor
CCT/American Studies

Friederike Eigler (Ph.D.)
Professor of German
Georgetown University College

Ricardo L. Ortiz, PhD
Associate Professor of English
Department of English

David J. Collins, S.J., S.T.L., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History
Georgetown University

Peter C. Pfeiffer, PhD
Professor
German Department

Julie Finnegan Stoner
Publishing Assistant
Georgetown University Press

Mary Helen Dupree
Assistant Professor of German
Georgetown University

Lan Ngo, S.J., M.A., MDiv.
Graduate Student
Department of History

Francis J. Ambrosio PhD
Associate Professor of Philosohy
Philosophy Department

Joseph H. Neale, Ph.D.
Paduano Distinguished Professor of Biology
Georgetown University College

Elizabeth Velez
Academic Director, Community Scholars
Professorial Lecturer, English Women's and Gender Studies
Georgetown University College

Astrid Weigert
Assistant Professor of German
Department of German

John Rakestraw, PhD
Instructor of Theology
Center for New Designs in Learning & Scholarship

Susan F. Martin, PhD
Donald G. Herzberg Associate Professor of International Migration
School of Foreign Service

Eli S. McCarthy PhD
Adjunct Professor of Justice and Peace Studies
Center for Social Justice

Veronica Salles Reese
Associate Professor
Spanish Department

Francisca Cho, PhD
Professor of Buddhist Studies
Theology Department

Marcia Chatelain
Assistant Professor of History
Georgetown University

Heidi Byrnes, PhD
George M. Roth Distinguished Professor of German
German Department

Steven R. Sabat, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
College of Arts and Sciences

Marianne Lyons
Assistant Dean
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Ladan Eshkevari, PhD, CRNA
Assistant Professor
Georgetown University

John Kraemer, JD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Health Systems Administration
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Jose R Teruel, MD, MPH
Professor of International Health
School of Nursing and Health Studies

Elizabeth H. Andretta, Ph.D.
Visiting Associate Professsor
Georgetown University in Qatar

Jo Anne P Davis, PhD
Assistant Professor, Nursing
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Irene Anne Jillson, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Nursing and Health Studies

Jeanne A. Matthews, PhD, RN
Chair and Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing
School of Nursing and Health Studies

Justin M. Owen, BSc(Eng)
Director of Medical Technologies
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Laura Anderko PhD RN
Scanlon Endowed Chair in Values Based Health Care
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Michael A. Stoto, PhD
Professor of Health Systems Administration and Population Health
School of Nursing & Health Studies and Pubic Policy Institute

Ronald Leow, Ph.D.
Professor of Applied Linguistics
Georgetown University

Rosemary Sokas, MD, MOH
Professor of Human Science
School of Nursing and Health Studies

Carol Taylor, PhD, RN
Professor of Nursing
School of Nursing and Health Studies

Robert J. Barnet MD, MA
Adjunct Professor of Medicine
School of Medicine

Leona M Fisher, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of English
Department of English

Jane Fitz-Simons MS,RN
Adjunct Faculty Nursing
Georgetown University

Mary Jane Mastorovich, MS
Asst. Professor, Health Systems Administration
Georgetown University

Edilma Yearwood, PhD, RN
Associate Professor of Nursing
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Wilfried Ver Eecke
Professor in Philosophy
Department of Philosophy

Sylvia E. Mullins, M.A.R in Theology
Graduate Student
Department of History

Terry Pinkard, PhD
University Professor
Department of Philosophy

Bryce Huebner, PhD
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Georgetown University

Judith Baigis, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor Emerita
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Patricia Mullahy Fugere
Adjunct Professor, JD Program
AB '81; JD '84; E.D., Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless

Henry Schwarz, PhD
Professor of English
Georgetown University

Judith Lichtenberg, PhD
Professor of Philosophy
Georgetown University

Joseph A. Chalmers, PhD
Retired Dean
Georgetown University

E. J. Dionne, Jr., D.Phil.
University Professor
Georgetown Public Policy Institute

Marlene Canlas, MA, MPH
Assistant Dean
Georgetown University

Iamon lyme: That's good!

Artful Dodger: They would be paying for gas to get to those events, so it's not exactly free...it's better just to stay home and read a book.

Thousands line up for Obama tickets
AUGUST 11, 2012 6:55 PM
from The Jawa Report by Vinnie
Oh, did I say "thousands?" I meant.... dozens. COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - Dozens of supporters showed up early Saturday to receive free tickets for President Barack Obama's speaking event in Council Bluffs on Monday....

Iamon lyme: Ya man.

Artful Dodger: Yes, it is the 'moving' saga of a young man who didn't just come from nowhere, but apparently from almost everywhere, to fill a key roll on the world stage. His story rivals that of the life and times of Guy Fawkes, and we (all of my multiple personalities) hope and dream that someday there will be a mask to commemorate his accomplishments.

is Romney's VP pick. Go Badgers!!!!!!!!!

Iamon lyme:

The Col: No, I agree.. but it makes it easier to sell such an idea, rather than it been said it's yet another government intrusion!!

Obama was actually born in Worcestershire (England) before his family moved to a ranch house somewhere in the south of France. As a young man he moved to Germany and attended university in Haagen Dazs, but retained his English citizenry until moving to Hawaii, where he pretended to be of Hawaiain descent until moving to Chicago to further his acting career.

Finally! Now I know what that mask is all about.

You wouldn't believe all of the Guy Fawkes merchandise I've been looking at... coffee cups, key chains, hats, shirts, etc etc, and of course a variety of masks. There's even a cute little lego man made to look like the ominous and mysterious Mr Fawkes.

MissDelish: "...a naughty boy" lol

What's that red stuff on his pudgy cheeks?

He seems to have gained a little weight.

Us english have saved the aussies again. Hackers are dangerous:) and (V) you have been caught hahaha, naughty, naughty

Go here for free money!

(V): Not really the same, people go to church willingly in most cases.There is so much money spent on political advertising , an agreed upon donation towards the national debt would at least provide something to show for it.

The Col: Tithing.. The Christians should be all for it!!

(V): I had the idea that for every 10 dollars spent on advertising, 1 dollar should go towards the national debt every election.

The Col: It helps to weed out the worst of them.

... AS to the "flash".. It is reported that this "flash" is costing about 6 billion dollars, UK parties would take over 120 elections to spend that much.

Couldn't they all just agree not to advertise so much and give the money to community projects? It strikes me, to be a waste of money.

(V): re : He'd be screwed if he acted like this in the UK

Funny you should say that.I was speaking with someone yesterday, and we both agreed Romney would never get away with his act in a Canadian election.Our politics lacks the flash of a US election, but the press does grill them on boring substance issues.That's not to say we end up electing better leaders

9 11 victim's son owns Bill O'Reilly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=MVB1eQn2uwA

I like the statement towards the end that because O'Reilly has such a recorded of being crazy and pathologically lying, lawyers think it's hard to prove he knew he was lying.

The Col: Legal.... I wouldn't mind the rich using them so much is the taxation levels were as they were before Raygun was told to cut them. But they are not.

As for Romney not being transparent... He'd be screwed if he acted like this in the UK. His election chance would be zero... Even the BNP (probably the most hated party in the UK) would get more votes.

(V): Going to the pub every night till close is legal , but wouldn't score high points for a presidential candidate.Of course certain tax havens are legal , but the optics are bad for Romney in this one.He apparently disclosed over a decade of returns to McCain when he was being considered for the VP job last election, I suppose transparency doesn't extend to the electorate.

Artful Dodger:

> yet here we have a President who has had his lawyers early on seal ALL his college records. Why is that? No one asks that question because he's a liberal. Had Bush had private records sealed, you left wing nuts would have lost your shorts over it!

Just to remind ourselves, George W. Bush did keep his college records confidential during his first term. His records were released in June of 2005 after he was reelected. In fact, most presidents have done that while they were presidents. Obama's records are not "selad" by a court order but rather, they remain confidential.

"Obama’s college records are not “sealed” by a court order, as this graphic would have you believe. It would be illegal under federal law (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) for Occidental, Columbia or Harvard Law School to give any former student’s records to reporters or members of the public without that person’s specific, written permission. Obama hasn’t released them, but neither have other presidential candidates released their college records. George W. Bush’s grades at Yale eventually became public, but only because somebody leaked them to the New Yorker magazine. Bush himself refused to release them, according to a 1999 profile in the Washington Post."

> I'm SURE there is something to the story. You don't get into Harvard with bad grades and Obama was NOT a good student. Something is amiss and denying it won't change that fact.

George W. Bush was by his on admission (and as his records show) an average student. Obama has never claimed to be a genius. If there is anything amiss with Obama being admitted to Harvard, isn't that a problem with Harvard's admission procedures rather than Obama's manipulating the situation? We have to remember that Obama was not born with power and influence.

As for the stupid claims that Obama got foreign student aid, that started as an April's Fool's day joke:

http://www.factcheck.org/2009/05/was-obama-born-in-the-usa/

Well, ultimately it is all immaterial. Obama is the president and running for reelection, whether right wingers like it or not. Likewise Mitt Romney (with all his qualities and potential shortcomings) is the Republican candidate.

Both sides will sling mud at each other. It is how American politics works these days. To date, both candiadates are eak in what really matters: issues that truly affect American society. Who cares about who the candidates are or where they were born when American sociaty faces urgen issues like the economy, health care, education, rising violence, etc.?

The worst thing of all is that regardless of who is elected, Washington will stay the same. Washington will continue in its culture of secrecy, lack of transparency, lobbyism, and the subversion of democracy by big, powerful money.

rod03801: Not even immoral?

"Perhaps if the greedy federal government were out of people's pockets, and stopped with lib regulations on everything, people wouldn't need to do that with their money, and COULD keep more of it here. "

Honestly, that is a really naive statement. Using Tax havens (and that is what they are) is just a way to avoid tax and hide dodgy money.

You'd trust a President who can't be honest over his own finances... Shame on you!!

The Col: "...power has become more importent than the health of the nation"

You have no idea what you are talking about. This is what happens if you only repeat what you've heard over and over and over again.

The newly passed health care law is simply a bid for more power, it has absolutely nothing to do with improving health care. Tort reform that would put a cap on how much doctors and hospitals can be sued would have taken a very good health care system and made it better. Even the legislators who pushed for nationalizing health care know this. If they didn't know this, then I've been giving them a lot more credit for having brains than I should have.

One thing is for certain, the main goal of nationalizing health care is for the government to have even more control over an individuals life than they already have... they crossed constitutional lines a long time ago, and have continued to grab for more and more power since then. Do you really believe that this ongoing grab for power is supposed to be in everyones best interest?

The Col: "I don't consider wanting fair taxation to be an obsession with other peoples money."

Of course you are obsessed with other people's money, because if you weren't you wouldn't want the rich to pay their fair share.

As it is the wealthiest people pay more than their fair share, so are you suggesting they should pay less?

If there was fair taxation, you would be paying the same rate as someone with more money than you. And you would pay the same rate as anyone who makes less money than you.

Everyone knows what it means to be fair, so be honest and tell us exactly what you mean by "fair".

Some fun things you can do with your money after it becomes almost totally worthless.

rod03801:

The Col: But it seems that his money being "off shore" is not illegal. Perhaps if the greedy federal government were out of people's pockets, and stopped with lib regulations on everything, people wouldn't need to do that with their money, and COULD keep more of it here.

He has done nothing wrong. He has done what he could do to maximize his success.. GEE how AWFUL.

Honestly, he isn't MY first choice, for sure. Not conservative enough for me. But 4 more years of this ... well, I can't say any of the words on this board that I usually use for this useless president... would destroy this country.

Heck, I'd even vote for you over Obama. Anything to get that jerk out.

The Col: Haha I'm rubbin off on ya

The Col: 50% pay zero taxes. The to 10% pay 70%.

Iamon lyme: Libs have their own conspiracy theories. Iraq was for oil and Bush conspired to get congress to approve. Evidence is all anecdotal.

Republicans seem worried , ya think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-JN5egDH-c

Romney spokesperson : "To that point, you know, if people had been in Massachusetts under Governor Romney’s health care plan, they would have had health care."

Iamon lyme: I don't consider wanting fair taxation to be an obsession with other peoples money.It may be the the proper spin if the candidate you support has loads of money offshore, and would rather take a battering rather than disclosure.Both parties turn a blind eye to the weaknesses of their candidates though, politics have become far too predictable, and the lack of any bi partisan work on behalf of the public is killing the USA. Mitch McConnell even went as far as to suggest being non cooperative was the intent of the Republican senate, that does nothing but hurt the country, power has become more importent than the health of the nation, he should be ashamed

The Col: I was actually expecting to catch a prize (V) with that bait. You don't appear to be obsessed with other people's money, but hey, what do I know...

Cheers. Here's looking at you.

Iamon lyme: You are a master baitor

The Col: I thought that might get a response... the key to successful fishing is in using the right bait.

The Col: Ready for when it comes back into fashion... HellBoy said it would

Iamon lyme: A subject you have firsthand knowledge ?

Obsession with money is a narcissistic disorder.

(V): Also sold as an 8 track tape audio book

Where's the Birth Certificate?:
The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President [Hardcover]
Jerome Corsi (Author)

List Price: $25.95
Price: $17.13 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $8.82 (34%)

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

The Col: Yes. It pays to.

(V): "It'd be a bigger cover up than the Manhattan Project."

Or when Adam and Eve discovered they were naked!

Iamon lyme: I meant that their position is the wife killer story is load of crap, not that their position is a load of crap. I didn't make that very clear.