This is regarding “Ryan’s education policies on target” (Commentary, March 22), in which columnist Dennis Byrne writes that I am “dull-witted” in suggesting that his candidate for the U.S. Senate, Jack Ryan, is “too extreme” for Illinois.
While I am more than willing to acknowledge my intellectual limitations, I never offered as a proof point Ryan’s ardent support for school vouchers, as Byrne asserts in his column.
I disagree with Ryan’s view on vouchers as the solution to our education challenges, but I based my comment on so much more.
I believe Ryan is too extreme for Illinois when he proposes shifting the provision of health insurance to tens of millions of Americans and their families from their employers.
I believe Ryan is too extreme for Illinois when he opposes new gun-safety laws and suggests that allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons is a better solution to violence in our communities.
I believe Ryan is too extreme for Illinois when he says he’d consider supporting a constitutional ban on abortion.
And I believe Ryan is too extreme for Illinois when he goes beyond the dubious policies of President George W. Bush and proposes the total elimination of the capital gains tax.
Even the president has not been as reckless or audacious.
I know these positions put Ryan in lockstep with Byrne.
But Ryan is out-of-step with the millions of “dull-witted” Illinoisans like me, who believe in personal freedom, public safety and balanced fiscal policies.
