A move to the far-right wing

Mitt Romney puts the flip in flip-flop, but his choice of Paul Ryan signals a clear intention to pander to the far-right wing of the Republican Party [“Romney’s VP choice a Beltway charmer,” page one, Aug. 12].

Ryan, highly revered by the tea party, is the author of a national budget so draconian that The New York Times called it “the most extreme budget plan passed by a House of Congress in modern times.”

Ryan supports ending Medicare as we know it and would cut and privatize Social Security. The Ryan plan would slash the budget mercilessly for the less fortunate, and all the while, cutting taxes for the wealthiest individuals in the country.

Catholic bishops and nuns have stated outright that Ryan’s cruel plan is immoral; President Barack Obama stated that the budget is “nothing but thinly veiled social Darwinism.”

Ryan credits the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of “Atlas Shrugged,” for spurring him into politics. Rand stated that altruism is evil, believed selfishness is a virtue and condemned Christianity for helping the poor.

Romney, once a moderate and effective Republican governor, appears to have lost his core; his choice of Ryan is a stark move to the far right.

— Bambi Lin Litchman, Tacoma

A wolf in sheep’s clothing

There are many reasons that Mitt Romney’s choice for vice president, Paul Ryan, is dangerous and blatantly beholden to the tea party, which has overtaken the Republican Party, but my annoyance is based on a childhood fact of Ryan’s.

At the age of 16, he lost his dad to a heart attack. Very sad indeed, but his financial backup was Social Security. How nice for him — he had a safety net that allowed him to receive a monthly payment until he was 18 and could then attend college.

Funny that he wants to make deep cuts in Medicare and Social Security, and put in jeopardy the programs that for many elderly and disabled individuals are the only things that save them from financial disaster.

America, beware the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

— Jocelyn Hudson, Shoreline