This urban legend has been kicking around the internet for many months and it’s shaping liberal Catholic opposition to Paul Ryan’s budget reforms. The rumor is that Paul Ryan is an “Ayn Rand devotee” as New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote. Rand was an atheist author who wrote books like Atlas Shrugged and The Virtue of Selfishness. Father Thomas Reese has portrayed ... More

Editor’s note: We have invited Matt Korger to contribute this posting on the elections in his home state of Wisconsin. Matt is editor of the Badger Catholic blog. Let’s take a brief trip down memory lane. In February, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker proposed a Budget Repair Bill which would rescue the state from a looming $3.6 billion ($3,600,000,000) state budget deficit.  Wiscons... More

Prof. Dan Maguire Hollywood and the media would have you believe that Catholic bishops routinely discipline Catholic professors ‘who get out of line.’ But in fact, it is extremely rare for a bishop to discipline any dissident theologian. Yet, in 2006, Archbishop Dolan (then of Milwaukee) corrected Dan Maguire for claiming that Catholics could support abortion and marriage between coupl... More

My headline is as preposterous as concerns that New York’s archbishop endorsed Paul Ryan’s budget. The Ryan-Archbishop Dolan exchange was an exercise in discerning leadership. Everyone who says the archbishop didn’t endorse the Republican budget is, of course, absolutely right. It’s also absolutely right to say it was a bit of a milestone. Religious women — from the Council of Majo... More

Archbishop Dolan has provided “political cover” for House Republicans in his letter responding to Congressman Ryan about the federal budget and Catholic social teaching. I believe he and Paul Ryan just demonstrated the depth of our responsibilities in politics — renewing a focus on possibilities and challenges. Thanks be to God, as the archbishop is wont to say. ...READ MORE... More

Read it all here. Further proof that George Weigel is right to say the Bernadin era is over? ... More

A group of liberal Catholic academics, led by professors at Catholic University, have written a public letter to Catholic Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) calling for protection of social-welfare programs that they argue are mortally threatened by the current budget proposal. The lead signatory, Professor Stephen Schneck, invokes the Gospel mandate to help the poor—to ensure that “the ... More

You may see baby feet. Some in our government keep their eyes closed, it seems. An abortion ends a human life. I don’t think even the most willfully ignorant supporters of [a woman's right to choose] denies that these days. Ends. a human life. We’re not talking hardened criminals who have killed children, raped grannies, and violated election laws. We’re talking humans who haven&... More

Brian Burch, President of CatholicVote.org, signed on to the following letter calling on House Speaker John Boehner to remain firm and ensure that the Continuing Resolution that keeps the federal government running does not include funding for Planned Parenthood. David Brody of CBN News wrote about this here. The letter in full: February 24, 2011 The Honorable John Boehner U.S. House of Represent... More