John Stossel‘s latest column subjects Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan to a libertarian-based scrutiny.

He was terrific. He was a rare politician, one who actually cared about America’s coming debt crisis and the unfairness of entitlements. He even talked about F.A. Hayek’s “The Road to Serfdom”! If only more politicians thought that way.

But then the housing bubble burst. Ryan voted for TARP. Then he voted for the auto bailout. Who is this guy? I thought he believed in markets!

At Fox, when I got my own TV show, I asked him about that.

“I voted for TARP because I believed we were going to fall into a deflationary spiral, the economy was going to collapse. … The purpose of voting for that auto bill was to prevent the auto companies from getting TARP dollars. … Now TARP has become this revolving government slush fund. Never was intended … .”

But in your ideal world, should government have bailed out the auto company?

“No.”

Whew.

I wish he had voted against those bills, but the political class was in near panic, and Ryan is a politician.

It’s a reason I don’t like politicians.

But at least Ryan speaks against bailouts now.

“We’re reaching a tipping point in this country where a majority of Americans are getting their benefits and livelihoods from the federal government … .

Why does this put us on a road to “serfdom”?

“Because we’re moving from a society where the goal of government is not to equalize opportunity but to equalize the results of our lives. … The more we ask government to do for us, the more government can take from us. … Government is doing so much in our lives that we have less freedom to govern ourselves.”

I like hearing a politician say that.