Paul Ryan: Let's Make America 'a Tax Shelter'

Mother Jones has dug up two more politically charged videos—these of Paul Ryan describing a rather Ayn Randian economic vision for America. In one, he told American Business Magazine last year that the US should make its tax rates competitively low: "Let's make this country a tax shelter for other countries instead of having other countries be a tax shelter for America." The year before, he had called the Cayman Islands—a notorious tax shelter—"the place you hide your money."

In another videotaped discussion, Ryan made remarks Mother Jones says are reminiscent of Mitt Romney's 47% philosophy—that nearly half of Americans are freeloaders addicted to government programs. "Right now about 60% of the American people get more benefits in dollar value from the federal government than they pay back in taxes," Ryan said in 2010. "So we're going to a majority of takers versus makers." But Mother Jones challenges Ryan, arguing that most Americans who don't pay income taxes are well off, retired, still in school, serving in the military, or among the working poor. (More Mother Jones stories.)