Sen. Goedde
One Idaho Republican lawmaker is such a fan of Ayn Rand — the radical philosopher who wrote “The Virtue of Selfishness” and who wanted to abolish every government social insurance program — that he has introduced a bill to mandate every high school student reads one of her books:
Sen. John Goedde, chairman of the Idaho Senateai??i??s Education Committee, introduced legislation Tuesday to require every Idaho high school student to read Ayn Randai??i??s ai???Atlas Shruggedai??? and pass a test on it to graduate from high school.
When Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur dai??i??Alene, asked Goedde why he chose that particular book, Goedde said to laughter, ai???That book made my son a Republican.ai???
Philosopher Ayn Rand coincidentally happens to be one of of House Budget Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) main political idols.
This is crazy. Leave partisan politics out of the classroom. That’s MY tax dollars.
Republicans are desperate and rediculous. I hope it does not pass. This is a free country, not the middle east.
Why do republican want to push their views on all of us, because they
can win with their stupid ideas. The war on woman put them were they belong. I cannot wait for 2014, I hope they all get their walking papers.
Labeling Ayn Rand a “philosopher” is an insult to actual philosophers everywhere, and her fiction amounted to little more than puerile, cliche noodling. Only the easily impressed have any respect for it, and the Roark story had to be the most laughable of all – I’ve seen better plot lines come from middle-school students for god’s sake.
Didn’t the Rand kick evaporate around 20 years ago in the influential States, as soon as those with half a brain pointed out how weak her ideas really were? Looks like backwoods republicans are late to the party….again.
If kids are going to be required to read Ayn Rand’s books, they should also be required to read her biography… like her hate for God and Christians, her habit of obsessing over people, her life of adultery and deception, and how she took Social Security and Medicare benefits even though she bad-mouthed them. So much for “Virtue.”
Has freedom to think been abolished by this Republican? To recommend literature is one thing: He cannot command our students to read this author. As we cannot command students to read The BIBLE … this man is outy of line.