Paul Ryan's perilous path
Romney selects Ryan
Click here to view a special section on Paul Ryan, selected to be Republican candidate Mitt Romney's running mate in the 2012 presidential campaign.
WASHINGTON — Paul Ryan traveled a perilous route to political stardom. While other lawmakers nervously whistled past trillion-dollar deficits, fearing to cut popular programs, he waded in with a machete and a smile.
Ryan wants to slice away at Medicare, food stamps and virtually every other government program but the military.
Democrats, led by President Barack Obama, have made him their budget boogeyman. Even many fellow Republicans were reluctant to follow him at first.
But Ryan has become a hero to deficit hawks. Twice now, the Republican-led House has embraced his austere budget plans. And in these tea party-infused, economically bleak days, Ryan's fiscal ideas have moved into the Republican Party's mainstream, just in time to be tested in the 2012 elections.
As Mitt Romney's vice presidential pick, the GOP's boisterous budget outrider is now its loudest voice on taxes and spending.
Romney calls his running mate an intellectual leader of the party with a "bold and exciting" budget plan. But Romney also has been careful to note, without elaboration, that he doesn't necessarily agree with all of Ryan's ideas.
Indeed, some of the Wisconsin congressman's previous suggestions—on the shelf since he ascended to the chairmanship of the House Budget Committee in 2011—were politically riskier. They included privatizing Medicare and part of Social Security and ending taxes on interest and investment income, meaning some wealthy investors like Romney might owe virtually nothing. Ryan has backed off those proposals, but he still stirs controversy.
Some of his current ideas:
Shrink the deficit
For Ryan, it all starts with putting the brakes on the nation's out-of-control debt. For years he's been wielding colorful charts and graphs to sound the alarm about annual deficits topping $1 trillion.
In March, the House passed a federal budget outline based on Ryan's plans that would protect the Pentagon but reduce spending on almost everything else, including highways and farm programs, NASA and weather forecasts, medical research and college aid. It aims to whittle the annual deficit to about $287 billion in 2022. That compares with a $704 billion deficit projected for Obama's budget plan. (The House bill is a non-starter in the Democratic-controlled Senate.)
A majority of House Republicans actually voted for even deeper cuts. And a few Democrats joined in passing the Ryan plan, which over the next decade would spend $5.3 trillion less than Obama wants while cutting taxes by $2 trillion more.
A numbers man, Ryan loathes budgetary uncertainty. So he wants to lock down how much the government can spend on entitlement programs such as Medicaid and food stamps. Critics complain that this would transfer the risks of rising prices or greater need to individual Americans.
Ryan says the most important thing he can do to help people in need is to rescue the nation from fiscal disaster.
Overhaul income taxes
As much as he wants to shrink the deficit, Ryan wouldn't do it by raising taxes.
He wants to lower tax rates by compressing the current six brackets into two: 10 percent and 25 percent. The current top rate for the wealthiest is 35 percent. He also would reduce the corporate tax rate to 25 percent from 35 percent. Ryan says he would make up the lost tax revenue by eliminating unspecified tax breaks and loopholes.
Ryan—like Romney and congressional Republicans—would extend Bush-era tax cuts for everyone. Obama wants to allow taxes on earnings over $200,000 per individual or $250,000 per couple to go back up next year, for a top rate of 39.6 percent.
Ryan also seeks to eliminate the alternative minimum tax—a much-despised levy that members of both parties have talked about ending. Doing so is tough, however, because it would cost the government hundreds of billions of dollars over a decade.
In the past, Ryan championed big tax changes that would mostly benefit the wealthy: eliminating taxes on dividends, interest and capital gains, as well as ending the estate tax. He dropped those ideas from more recent plans.
Redo Medicare
None of Ryan's ideas has caused as much outcry as his plans to remake Medicare. Critics say he wants to undo the fundamental nature of the government-run insurance program—its open-ended commitment to getting seniors the benefits they need. Ryan says he would give retirees more freedom while saving Medicare from going broke.
After his earlier plan to privatize Medicare provoked a firestorm, Ryan put forth a retooled version late last year, which resembles Romney's idea of preserving a form of traditional Medicare alongside an option to choose from private insurance plans. Romney hasn't addressed the specifics of his new running mate's proposal.
Future retirees would get fixed government payments that could either go toward buying private plans or joining a government-run program modeled on today's Medicare. The insurers, including the government program, would make annual competitive bids that would be assessed to set the amount of the government payments. Older and sicker people would get larger payments; wealthier retirees would get smaller ones.
The growth of Medicare spending would be capped to keep medical inflation from overwhelming the national budget. In contrast, Obama proposes another way to limit Medicare costs—by cutting payments to medical providers if spending surges.
Ryan's limit might not keep pace with fast-rising health care costs. Over time the government payments could cover much less of a retiree's medical costs than Medicare does now. For example, an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that Ryan's plan would hold government spending on a typical 66 year old to $7,400 in 2030. That compares with $9,600 estimated for the same retiree in 2030 under current law.
Ryan says his plan would keep costs down by creating competition within the health care system and giving retirees incentive to be smart medical shoppers. He also would gradually increase the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67.
People already 55 or above could stay in the current system.
The starting point for Ryan's plan is some $700 billion in Medicare cuts already to be phased in under Obama's health care law—cuts that are a favorite target of Romney and other Republicans who want to repeal "Obamacare." Despite that criticism, Ryan would keep those Medicare restraints.
Hand off Medicaid
The fate of the health program for the poor is one of the most glaring differences between Ryan's vision and Obama's.
The president's health care overhaul would pour more U.S. money into the joint state-federal program so it can cover millions more low-income people. Ryan wants to repeal that expansion, curtail the program's growth and hand the whole package over to the states.
Ryan says converting the program into grants for the states would free them to use the money as its needed most and manage it more efficiently.
Even before Obama's expansion, Medicaid has been growing faster than the economy, putting a strain on state budgets and dinging the U.S. government, too. Ryan's budget would cut its federal cost over the next decade from more than $4 trillion down to $3.4 trillion.
The Congressional Budget Office says the Ryan plan would sharply reduce the size of the program relative to the overall economy and leave states the choice of cutting benefits, possibly by pushing people off the Medicaid rolls, or spending more of their own money.
What about Social Security?
For several years Ryan pushed plans to partially privatize the national retirement program, an idea that flared and dimmed during George W. Bush's presidency. He also talked about raising the retirement age gradually to 70 and reducing benefits for all but the poorest future retirees, to deal with demographic changes that threaten to overwhelm the program. Although there is wide agreement that changes of some sort must be made to shore up the program's finances, Ryan has dropped those lightning-rod specifics.
Instead, his budget would require that president and Congress find a way to fix Social Security's finances.
Aug 20, 2012 at 7:34 a.m.
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Sorry had all the hope and change I could take for the last 3 1/2 years.
Aug 20, 2012 at 7:07 a.m.
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"I hope your mention of a high income earner paying a low effective tax rate, like Romney and Kohl, signals a change in your thinking and your support now for increasing effective tax rates on high income earners."
If you read more slowly you may come to understand it was a statement of hope and not a claim to understand your thinking; something I doubt even you can do.
Aug 20, 2012 at 7:03 a.m.
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Still making claims to know others thoughts? Identifying your hypocritical comments on taxes in no way identifies any position of mine. But that hasn't kept the deflection circus train at the stationtime before, I suspect it won't again.
Aug 20, 2012 at 6:45 a.m.
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If by sideshow act you're referring to me, you only need to look at my history of comments to see the many times I have advocated increasing the effective tax rates on high income earners. Almost every one of those comments have been met with your objections. In case you failed to notice, my most recent comments included two Democrats and two Republicans. I hope your mention of a high income earner paying a low effective tax rate, like Romney and Kohl, signals a change in your thinking and your support now for increasing effective tax rates on high income earners. That's change we can believe in!
Aug 20, 2012 at 2:13 a.m.
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Curious how the sideshow act that pretends all of a sudden to be concerned about how much politicians pay in taxes has been silent for the last 2 decades. Just a small sampling of the hypocrisy using the sideshow's own math;
Herb Kohl paid a total tax of $741,477 (2006). This tax is:
6.23% of adjusted gross income of $11.79 million
Oh no, don't look at herb....
Aug 19, 2012 at 2:49 p.m.
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Labor your assumption on tax rates is as accurate as your guess on tax returns. You fit in perfect with your circus.
Aug 19, 2012 at 11:07 a.m.
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Barack Obama paid a total tax of $453,770 (line 60). This tax is:
25.3% of total income (line 22) of $1,795,614
26.3% of adjusted gross income (line 37) of $1,728,096
33.9% of taxable income (line 43) of $1,340,207
Mitt Romney paid a total tax of $3,009,766 (line 60). This tax is:
13.9% of total income (line 22) of $21,661,344
13.9% of adjusted gross income (line 37) of $21,646,507
17.6% of taxable income (line 43) of $17,120,067
Joe Biden paid a total tax of $86,626 (line 60). This tax is:
23.4% of total income (line 22) of $370,178
23.4% of adjusted gross income (line 37) of $379,178
28.4% of taxable income (line 43) of $304,840
Paul Ryan paid a total tax of $37,457 (line 60). This tax is:
17.4% of total income (line 22) of $215,417
17.4% of adjusted gross income (line 37) of $215,417
21.9% of taxable income (line 43) of $170,772
Barack Obama 2010 tax return [ http://www.taxhistory.org/thp/presreturn... ]
Mitt Romney 2010 tax return [ http://www.taxhistory.org/thp/presreturn... ]
Joe Biden 2010 tax return [ http://www.taxhistory.org/thp/presreturn... ]
Paul Ryan 2010 tax return [ http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/... ]
Aug 19, 2012 at 9:48 a.m.
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"Ryan paid a higher income tax rate than Romney, returns show" [
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/201... ]
Aug 19, 2012 at 9:29 a.m.
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[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQx3qWL43... ]
Aug 19, 2012 at 6:55 a.m.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9kOP8ORA...
Aug 19, 2012 at 6:48 a.m.
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"90% tax rates were eliminated, when? 1972?"
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The real answer is 1964, the last rate above 90% was 1963.
http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,i...
Aug 18, 2012 at 11:18 a.m.
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Neat tale west. Maher says nothing but offensive and nonsensical statements, there are many sources that document his tales, I suggest you open your eyes.
Your idea party is important when it comes to the govt spending problem is funny, almost as much as the war welfare dept. The fact is our govt has spent more than it has collected in taxes since the late 50's; this happened with top tax rates above 90%. Making claims that this a party problem is as spurious as claiming the fault is the war welfare dept.
The only thing more funny is the obsession some have over the income of a few, over political ideological, while ignoring income on the other side of the isle.
Aug 18, 2012 at 9:40 a.m.
Aug 18, 2012 at 6:21 a.m.
Aug 17, 2012 at 7:29 p.m.
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Released on a Friday night. Paul Ryan had an income of 323,000 last year, just like all of us. Well, except RAF or Romney.
Aug 17, 2012 at 9:42 a.m.
Aug 16, 2012 at 11:12 p.m.
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west, the idea you think maher is right, on anything, says much about you.
Aug 16, 2012 at 7:20 p.m.
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trucksrus - Limbaugh on the radio every day by any chance?
Aug 16, 2012 at 3:44 p.m.
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B
Aug 16, 2012 at 2:29 p.m.
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mjoseph, You have a fixation on beating a dead horse, wouldn't you think if a wealthy individual did not pay taxes for 10 years the IRS would do something about it? Would not the self rightious researchers in the Obama campaign uncovere any wrong doing or evasion if it existed. He is only required to disclose 2 yrs. Done that.
Aug 16, 2012 at 11:22 a.m.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra...
Repeal Obamacare and Medicare Trustees say it will be insolvent sooner.
Aug 16, 2012 at 9:16 a.m.
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westorbust, poobah, and woody have all used the word "fairy" in their postings. Must be the new left wing talking point puppet buzz word if they are not the same person.
Aug 16, 2012 at 8:58 a.m.
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Ryan on the "Romney-Ryan" budget plan:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/1785458730001...
"I don't know exactly when it balances, but—I don't want to get wonky on you, but we haven't run the numbers on that specific plan."
More fantasy from the fringe.
Aug 16, 2012 at 8:17 a.m.
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Email the Romney for President campaign office today, and request that Mitt come clean and provide several years of his tax returns now, as Americans deserve. We have waited long enough.
Write and email your comments on the form at:
http://www.mittromney.com/forms/suggesti...
Aug 16, 2012 at 8:16 a.m.
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Ryan Incorporated Central receives Navy contract, 1996.
http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detai...
Would Ryan Incorporated have as successful WITHOUT government contracts? It gives new meaning to "you didn't build that".
Aug 16, 2012 at 7:58 a.m.
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Ryan's family business booms because of public-works projects:
http://www.salon.com/2012/08/14/paul_rya...
Aug 16, 2012 at 7:52 a.m.
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Reagan's budget director on Ryan's "Fairy-Tale Budget":
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/opinio...
Aug 16, 2012 at 7:51 a.m.
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Except that he's right, RAF.
Aug 16, 2012 at 5:14 a.m.
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Tell me one area where Barak Obama and Joe Biden would disagree?
"I can see New Jersey from my house" In the wrong state in the wrong century while putting you'all in chains and robbing 716 billion from medicare. 4 more beers!
Aug 15, 2012 at 11:39 p.m.
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Posting bill maher might as well post michael moore too.
Aug 15, 2012 at 9:42 p.m.
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Before even considering making cuts to Medicare, which is a vital safety net, they should drastically increase their efforts at weeding out all of the Medicare fraud. They should offer rewards to people who report Medicare fraud.
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:28 p.m.
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lol
"Tell me one area where Paul Ryan and Sarah Palin would disagree? I cannot find one area. So somehow he's the smartest guy in the party and she's the stupidest woman on earth, but they agree on everything." –Bill Maher
Aug 15, 2012 at 6:36 p.m.
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Anyone quoting Bill Maher is an idiot on valium
Aug 15, 2012 at 5:19 p.m.
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New Obama/BiteMe Campaign slogan....
Hope and Chains
Aug 15, 2012 at 4:22 p.m.
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who is Obama from his own mouth,
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=tCA...
Aug 15, 2012 at 1:27 p.m.
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I'm not saying Paul Ryan is still a brownoser, but I think someone has a photo of him in Vegas yesterday, washing Sheldon Adelson's car. ;)
Aug 15, 2012 at 9:58 a.m.
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West -- only the far left has that Opinion of Palin -- oh and I would also say -- only the far left is a bunch of GOP woman haters.
Aug 15, 2012 at 9:34 a.m.
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Amazing. People I deal with all over the country in the trucking industry are excited beyond words! These are independent business people. People who own small companies and put other people to work. They are talking about finally having hope for the future with Romney/Ryan. Just weeks ago these people were talking about maybe having to go out of business due to the cost of Obamacare and other federal restrictions created by Obama's group of Czars. The majority of Americans want to work. The people who are scared of losing Obama are the same people who have NO aspiration to do any better than a monthly government check. Welfare is a band aid for those who need it. Not meant to sustain you for life. Seniors will not lose their SS. READ the dang plan. Future seniors will also be ok. Again, Read it. Quit posting talking points from your favorite half truth news org. Talk to REAL job creators. That is if you really want a better America! Obama and the left have no plan but to keep you on welfare. Is that really all you want for yourself and your children and grandchildren?
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:59 a.m.
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BIll Maher on Paul Ryan and Sarah Palin: "Somehow he's the smartest guy in the party and she's the stupidest woman on earth, but they agree on everything,"
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:48 a.m.
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gonfo5: good post IMO. Most of the posters as well as Congress are just hammering each other while the deficit grows and neither side does any compromising. I find it interesting that under both the Ryan plan and the Obama plan, there is still an ANNUAL deficit by 2022 according to this article. Just varying ammounts. In other words, the total deficit keeps growing and every year for the next 10 years neither side has a balanced budget. Does either side really care about the longevity of Social Security? I don't think so. If they did, they would not have cut the contribution from 6.2% to 4.2% for individuals for the last 2 years and be talking about continuing this reduction. Both Democrats and Republicans have and are supporting this reduction of money flowing into a system already at future risk.
Votes, votes, votes .... That is all either side is about IMO
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:38 a.m.
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Fedup, time for your meds !
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:29 a.m.
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Quote "Yes people pay into Social Security, but people are collecting far more than they ever paid into the system. great for them,..."End Quote
If Social Security had been run from the beginning using the same actuary formulas used by Insurance companies the system would be floating in money now.
As it is the average Social Security recipient gets a less than 2% return on the money deducted for SSAN over the years. Had a person been able to invest the same amount for the same number of years, and only used the very safest investments, the return would be at least 5%.
The average person does not draw out more than was paid in over the years, but the baggage added on to the Social Security system over the years by politicians have made that true for some.
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:25 a.m.
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The person who needs to fear Ryan, is Joe BiteMe Biden when he meets him at the debates.
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:18 a.m.
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Here is some of the reflublicans reactions the Ryan's Koch plan.
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AviV8ihCo...
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:17 a.m.
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Obama's very shady associates go way further then the few mentioned and birds of a feather is correct.
Everyday that goes by, I see the left wing media and Joe Biden I might add coming unglued over this Ryan pick.
Brilliant move Gov Romney. Your first move proving that you will be a strong leader.
You saw how Biden handled that yesterday? And he's 2nd in command expresses exactly how they feel about the black voter. Highest Poverty was the headlines.
Biden: "I can see New Jersey from my house"
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:09 a.m.
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And here's Ryan trying to pass the Koch plan from the 80's. The reflublicans trickle down fairy dust approach to economics. Why should Rmoney's tax rate drop to .82%? What's your rate?
.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/14...
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:02 a.m.
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It would seem Governor Romney has firmly placed his foot upon the "Third Rail" of American politics,when he chose Congressman Ryan.
Aug 15, 2012 at 7:29 a.m.
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I was really hoping that Romney's pick would bring the conversation back to the issues. I figured it would be time to get down to the nitty gritty. I assumed that we would start hearing the specifics on the contrasting plans for the future of our economy and our nation. Instead, all we've been hearing about is the Ryan budget and Medicare. Did you see some of the headlines of Florida newspapers? Romney headed there right after the announcement and was immediately getting hammered about the Ryan budget and Medicare. Paul Ryan goes on Fox News last night and gets hammered about his budget and Medicare. What's crazy is neither one of them can give a coherent answer as to how one's budget ideas differ from the other's. It's crazy. Do they not prepare for questions that are obviously on the minds of many voters?
Aug 15, 2012 at 7:22 a.m.
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I don't think anyone fears Paul Ryan. I can't think of a better running mate for Mitt Romney. I was pretty ecstatic when I heard the news, and after the reaction started coming in from the Left AND the Right, I was even more excited. It's kind of seems like Barack Obama chose Romney's running mate for him, isn't it?
Aug 15, 2012 at 7:09 a.m.
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http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/...
Aug 15, 2012 at 7:08 a.m.
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Romney Business info. - Interesting reading
"$30 Million dollars in Bain Capital Funds in the Cayman Islands alone." W o W!
Aug 15, 2012 at 6:58 a.m.
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I do not think any one fears Ryan they just know he is only looking out for him self
Aug 15, 2012 at 6:51 a.m.
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Interesting article on Paul Ryan wealth.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/14...
Aug 15, 2012 at 6:47 a.m.
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retiredairforce - GOOD (unintended) HUMOR - BECAUSE MANY DO FEAR PAUL RYAN.
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/...
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/0...
Aug 15, 2012 at 6:43 a.m.
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Ryan is not looking out for any one except him self just like all those in office
Aug 15, 2012 at 5:28 a.m.
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Paul Ryan who is connected to budgetary issues more than anything else; he is synonymous with the budget. He sits there on Fox News last night and won't talk about his budget. He says "I joined the Romney ticket". Ok fair enough. When asked when the Romney budget will balance, he says, "We haven't run the numbers yet." You haven't run the numbers yet? You are super budget hero, and you haven't run the numbers yet? I realize that Congress hasn't passed a budget in years, but when the chair of the budget committee hasn't "run the numbers" on his own ticket's budget plan, something doesn't smell right. Especially when he won't even open up Republican run Fox News.
Aug 15, 2012 at 12:55 a.m.
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fordfan: It's hard debating when you don't have facts, isn't it???
Yes people pay into Social Security, but people are collecting far more than they ever paid into the system. great for them, but it is going bankrupt quicker than ever. Last year it was projected to run out in 2033, this year its not 2030. 3 years quicker than just a year ago's projection! The disability portion is about to be bankrupt in 2018.
If you don't want to fix it, come up with a solution. I think they should raise it to 85 before you can collect. But people would go through the roof, because this is their only retirement and they EXPECT the government to take care of them for health, retirement and long term care.
Remember there are 3 people paying in for every 1 person collecting and the numbers are going in the wrong direction. Keep up the attitude of I paid in, so I am going to get everything I can out of the system and it will collapse, believe me.
The funny part is the statement that HardToBelieve made is more Republican than Democrat. I am trying to say I'd rather pay in so everyone can have some benefit, even though I am not planning on getting anything back from it. Even though I am traditionally a conservative, I am suggesting a more socialistic ideal, which democrats flatly reject, so they are showing their true colors. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT EVERYONE, ITS A LIE! The whole unions help raise wages for everyone, ha, they could care less about you, its all about them. And this statement shows it.
Think about it.
Aug 14, 2012 at 11:07 p.m.
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Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. Claustrophobia is the fear of tight spaces. Liberalism is the fear of Paul Ryan.
Aug 14, 2012 at 10:48 p.m.
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fordfan
Aug 14, 2012 at 7:55 p.m.
"News for you Bowlgal… Louis Farrakhan, Carl Davidson, William Ayers, Frank Marshall Davis, Saul Alinsky, Jeremiah Wright are not on the VP ballot the last I heard. You seem to not like Obama for some reason I have observed….."
~
But birds of a feather flock..........
Aug 14, 2012 at 9:59 p.m.
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At some point America has to tear the huge bandaid off its been wearing for many, many years and soon! One side is saying we need to make cuts and now and the other side is saying we need to raise taxes on the rich. The only problem is, if you took every penny the rich in our country had, you might get 2 trillion if you're lucky and that's if you take everything they have. The last time I checked the deficit was almost 16 Trillion and climbing. So now what, since that still leaves us with 14+ Trillion in debt and climbing with nobody to hire anyone to make a living! So really, Now What? These facts are exactly what they are, Facts!
Both parties are equally to blame for getting our country to this point. I don't care which party comes up with the idea but we simply CAN NOT keep spending twice what our country is bringing in, we just CAN NOT! We need serious people in Washington and one's that are willing to make the unpopular choices while also sacrificing to save our country before there is nothing to save! Believe it or not, America is at the edge of the cliff balancing on one leg hoping for a miracle to not go over! We are there!
Aug 14, 2012 at 9:45 p.m.
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sorry bill.....since the swift boating of a decorated Viet Nam veteran, and the way Bush treated McCain in the nomination in 2000, I have no respect for Republicans that support these extreme agendas like Ryan has come up with and the tactics they use to pass them. If the Republicans will do that to American heroes who served their country honorably, they will do ANYTHING to win - and I do mean ANYTHING. So recently I decided to employ some of your own tactics. Are you enjoying them? I certainly hope so and I should at least gain your respect for being just like you all. Right?
Aug 14, 2012 at 9:43 p.m.
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NVgrf
"It is very sad how some Janesville locals, even former teachers whose profession Ryan stands against"
You should be ashamed of yourself for that comment, you sound like Biden the buffoon.
Aug 14, 2012 at 9:42 p.m.
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Okay, you lefties don't like the "Ryan" plan- (which technically should be called the Ryan-Wyden plan, because yes, it was a bi-partisan plan written with a Democrat).
But what plan has the President offered? The one that was voted down in the senate 97-0? The one that was so bad that not even one Democrat voted for it? The one that was so bad that Clintons Chief of Staff Erskine Simpson (who Obama hand picked BTW to review such a plan) mocked it?
So cry all you want about how Paul Ryan wants to kill old people and ruin the middle class. The way I see, there is only one person who has cut Medicare funding to date (by over 700B so far), and that person ain't Paul Ryan.
Aug 14, 2012 at 9:31 p.m.
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Some people are just too funny! They say that Paul Ryan is against teachers. They say he wants to dismantle Social Security. They say he wants to eliminate Medicare. That he cares nothing for the poor and middle class. Then they lament the paucity of personal integrity. Physician, heal thyself!
If those who oppose Paul Ryan had any integrity, they'd stop the character assassination and tout President Obama's accomplishments to counter Ryan and Romney. Of course, considering the paucity of those accomplishments, I can see why they're stooping to character assassination. The worst handled economic recovery in a couple of generations just doesn't give a partisan much of anything to crow about!
Aug 14, 2012 at 9:30 p.m.
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Ayn Ryan.
Aug 14, 2012 at 9:26 p.m.
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Oblamer - I believe there are many of us who can give more, that would give more if we didn't have people of means like you that keep freeloading off the poor and middle class. Have a good night.
Aug 14, 2012 at 9:07 p.m.
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It is very sad how some Janesville locals, even former teachers whose profession Ryan stands against, are lapping at his boots merely because he is a homeboy. It sure doesn't show much in the way of personal integrity.
Aug 14, 2012 at 9 p.m.
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God Bless America, land that I LOVE: Great song and saying. It's too bad that so many citizens don’t seem to care about its meaning anymore. I was fortunate to grow up in a place, that I thought was America, where people were good neighbors, friends, helped each other, had silly neighborhood differences but always resolved them in a peaceful manner. Greed, ME, I Want, and bitterness seem to be the norm now. Where are we going as a country?
Aug 14, 2012 at 8:47 p.m.
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Undecided older voters beware!! This man is on the far right of Congress. And that is really saying something today. He cares nothing about the poor and middle class. He will turn medicare over to private insurance companies and is a real threat to social security. He has remade himself at every turn during his career in order to advance his personal interests. Beware!!
Aug 14, 2012 at 8:13 p.m.
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Hey big Mac……a woman lives on $8,400 Social Security a year that is it. Ryan’s plan will raise Medicare taxes $6,400 per year on average. Now how is she going to live on what is left? And don’t tell me that it will not affect the elderly. This will be just like the Republicans are doing to the post office. First you decide you do not want it, they you demonize it and anyone who speaks in favor of it and then you create a situation to make it fail and then you get rid of it. You 100% better know that it is true or you have to be as gullible as I have seen. Hope you have no pre-existing conditions when you get older or are able to pay $50K per year in premiums with an $8K voucher. Good luck with that one.
Poling show that people want Medicare and Social Security left alone structurally and fix what is wrong with it. They do not want it destroyed as Romney/Ryan and the Tea Party Republican’s want to do.
Aug 14, 2012 at 7:55 p.m.
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News for you Bowlgal… Louis Farrakhan, Carl Davidson, William Ayers, Frank Marshall Davis, Saul Alinsky, Jeremiah Wright are not on the VP ballot the last I heard. You seem to not like Obama for some reason I have observed…..
Aug 14, 2012 at 7:22 p.m.
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-Louis Farrakhan – Leader of the Nation of Islam – Called Obama”the Messiah,” and "the hope of the entire world."
-Carl Davidson – Obama associate and former Chicago New Party activist – Obama became a member of the New Party, a group with socialist goals. They boasted that Obama, a New Party member had won the primary election for Illinois State Senator. The paper quoted Obama saying "these victories prove that small 'd' democracy can work."
-William Ayers - Self-confessed Weather Underground terrorist who bombed the Pentagon and other government targets in the ‘70’s - He was never convicted because of a legal technicality. In 2001 he told the New York Times, “I don’t regret setting bombs.” In fact he added that he and the others “didn’t do enough.” Ayres' 1974 book called Prairie Fire: The Politics of Revolutionary Anti-Imperialism was dedicated to "all political prisoners in the U.S.," including Sirhan Sirhan, who had assassinated Robert Kennedy! In the mid ‘90’s Obama worked with Bill Ayers on the board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. Obama had his political coming out party at Ayres home in 1995. Recent analysis has shown that Ayres shaped and revised Obama’s book “Dreams From My Father.”
Bernadine Dohrn - Weather Underground - US Terrorist – Bill Ayres’ wife.
Aug 14, 2012 at 7:20 p.m.
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Do not be misled that Bad company corrupts good character.
-Frank Marshall Davis – Communist Party member, just called “Frank” in Obama’s book Dreams From My Father - Obama had a close relationship with Davis, listening to his "poetry" and getting advice on his career path.
-Saul Alinsky – Obama’s early idol/mentor – He was a Marxist whose Rules for Radicals is the guide for community organizing groups like ACORN. ACORN supports Obama and is under investigation in numerous states for voter fraud allegations.
Jeremiah Wright - Obama's pastor for 20 years. He cursed America and blamed it for the 9/11 attacks. He came out of the Nation of Islam, and praised Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam's leader, as one of the "giants of the African American religious experience."
Aug 14, 2012 at 7:15 p.m.
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fordfan, isn't it nice Paul Ryan actually has a record in Congress we can study and Debate unlike Obama. I'm so glad he didn't start his political career in the livingroom of a terrorist or sat in a racist spewing church for over 20 years or bought his property from a criminal. God forbide.
Aug 14, 2012 at 7:07 p.m.
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any politician ever say " lets cut congress and the benefits? Why did the billion dollars for farm aid last month include money for Chile? Our state wants to give money to companies paying minimum wage...how can you survive on that? and no health care.Lets end giving millions to other countries.How about the crooks on wall.st.trillions of dollars. lets get money from all these crooks and help middle now low class people.Leave s.s. to those who paid in not immigrants and kids.
Aug 14, 2012 at 7:01 p.m.
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OK for right-wingers out here, lets try again (I bet I still get no answers)
Did Ryan vote for the Bush tax cuts in 2001?
Did Ryan vote for the Bush tax cuts in 2003?
Did Ryan vote for the war with Afghanistan without funding it?
Did Ryan vote for the war with Iraq without funding it?
Did Ryan vote for Medicare Part D without funding it?
Did he insist on not allowing the government to negotiate with big pharma to reduce the cost of Medicare?
Did Ryan vote for the repeal of the Glass-Steagall act that allows banks to gamble with depositors’ money?
Did Ryan vote to support reduction of regulations and lax oversight for the banking industry?
Did Ryan vote for tax breaks for big oil?
Has Ryan benefited from Social Security even though his family is wealthy and didn’t need the money?
Has Ryan taken government health care?
Does Ryan have a government pension promised to him?
Does Ryan have government health care promised to him for life?
Did Ryan take the Grover Norquist oath to never raise taxes that in Republican minds take precedence over their oath to protect and defend our constitution?
Is Ryan now a multi-millionaire while making a congressman’s salary? How did this happen in 10 years or so?
Did Newt Gingrich call Ryan’s budget Right Wing Social Engineering?
....and there are more if you want them.
For context these are some facts from the CBO:
Cause of budget deficit (Congressional Budget Office Estimates)
Bush left Obama record deficits right out of the gate – that is a historical fact.
Economic downturn – 34% in 2010 deficit and 28% of the 2011 deficit (less economic activity means less tax revenue and increased social service costs like unemployment insurance).
Bush Tax cuts (policy change) – 24% of the deficit – up to $2.3T (40% of the benefits went to people earning over $500K)
Wars with Afghanistan and Iraq – 14% of the deficit – up to $4T including future
Aug 14, 2012 at 6:53 p.m.
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Why is there a debate over Medicare? With Obamacare, physicians are opting out of taking patients and it has cut billions in medicare funds already? Obama has already hurt Seniors.
There will be rationing and 15 beaurocrats deciding if you are a good/bad financial risk for medical attention.
Ryan is talking about trying to save it. Medicare/healthcare/social security. Obama has already gut it. This talk should be about repealing Obamacare and saving Medicare with one executive order of repeal.
Aug 14, 2012 at 6:53 p.m.
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So now he's a deficit hawk?
Anyone else notice that Paul Ryan only started speaking out against government spending after President Obama took office? Under President W Bush Paul Ryan was all for government spending: wars, tax cuts, TARP, Medicare part D. Hell, he even voted for the auto bail out. What's up with your boy voting for the auto bailout, Mitt? I thought Detroit was supposed to go bankrupt.
Ryan voted for trillions in spending that grew the deficit and the debt when good old Dubya (more like Cheney pulling Dubya's strings) told him to. As soon as a Democrat becomes President, he completely flip flops on spending. Now that's integrity.
Aug 14, 2012 at 6:50 p.m.
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day 3 THE RYAN GAZETTE keeps on ticking....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz !
Aug 14, 2012 at 6:46 p.m.
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Another monumental bad day for Americans as Obama has brought our Debt up to 16 trillion dollars.
No wonder his approval rating is only 36%. That barely covers all of the hard left in America.
Aug 14, 2012 at 6:25 p.m.
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If Obama swore up and down the world was flat but Ryan had pictures of it being round you liberals would still swear it was flat.
Aug 14, 2012 at 6:06 p.m.
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The United States of America is on a perilous path with Obama at the helm, time for that CHANGE he promised.
Aug 14, 2012 at 5:45 p.m.
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MacDaddy: Maybe it is because they PAID into a system that they were told would be here when they get older. The government steals from Social Security (our money) and never pays it back. My check every week has medicare and FICA taxes taken out. It is my money I have paid in and that is how they feel.
Aug 14, 2012 at 5:10 p.m.
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fordfan: You know what makes me sick, is that this is the first time EVER that the elderly are demanding entitlements instead of leaving the next generation better off! I can't believe people are so selfish! Why would they want to get all they can from the government and purposely defund an already going broke system?
Most people generally want the next generation to be better off than they are, but not anymore! How sad.
Aug 14, 2012 at 5:06 p.m.
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"and leave states the choice of cutting benefits, possibly by pushing people off the Medicaid rolls, or spending more of their own money." Hmmm...I wonder what option an Ayn Randian would chose.....
Aug 14, 2012 at 5:01 p.m.
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"Ryan says converting the program into grants for the states would free them to use the money as its needed most and manage it more efficiently." Like Walker did with the federal grant money that was to go to Milwaukee perhaps? Maybe allowing the poor to die with lack of care would be a be more efficient use than trying to treat them and save their lives. The needy sick are only a cell in a spreadsheet to business you know - government has to be run like a business.
Aug 14, 2012 at 4:57 p.m.
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"People already 55 or above could stay in the current system." That is until the political climate is created through pitting children against parents and they can defund the standard Medicare that they are "promising" now. Ryan cannot be trusted as he is a nice guy with the conscience of Ayn Rand (basically no conscience).
Aug 14, 2012 at 4:55 p.m.
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fordfan - Because Obamacare is not the solution either.
Aug 14, 2012 at 4:52 p.m.
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"Ryan says his plan would keep costs down by creating competition within the health care system and giving retirees incentive to be smart medical shoppers." I thought we had private free market health insurance now. If it is working so well, why are we even talking about it?
Aug 14, 2012 at 4:50 p.m.
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"Medicare spending would be capped to keep medical inflation from overwhelming the national budget." Do I hear health care rationing for the poor and middle class? Maybe Republican death panels? Gotta love those Tea Party Republican terms.
Aug 14, 2012 at 4:42 p.m.
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Logical, clear and understandable.
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