Healthcare: Basically, Ryan is still promoting his Health Savings Account plan. His proposal segregates the high-risk, chronically ill, and those with pre-existing conditions to be subsidized by the individual states. So the burden of cost shifts, but is not diminished. You may derive some benefit from this plan provided nothing serious ever happens to you. It does not appear that his plan does anything to reign in the disproportionate influence of the insurance industry. Why would it? Take a look at his list of campaign PAC donors – BIG Pharma and the insurance industry.
Medicare: On the surface, this appears to be a "privatization" of Medicare, which we are already experiencing with Medicare Advantage. It appears to be another plan where the insurance industry will get to "cherry pick" amongst the healthiest. His proposal limits your choice of providers to a pre-determined list. ou really are not free to choose. Better check out which companies are on that list, what relationships they have with our congressman, and who really stands to benefit.
Social Security: Another move toward "privatization." If this is the same type of plan that he has been advocating for years, you would be limited in your choices as to where you could invest your personal retirement funds. Once again, who stands to benefit – the investment managers on Wall Street? What relationship do they have with our congressman? Better check out his PAC contributions and personal assets. Always be suspicious of "privatization" until you carefully examine what constraints are put upon the program and who will actually gain.
Taxes: Ryan is pushing a "Taxpayer's Choice Act," which would basically create a flat tax system. he highest tax rate would be 25% as compared to the current 35%. While paying lower taxes appears attractive, how does the government make-up for the $840 billion revenue shortfall created by this proposal? We already have a staggering deficit, driven by defense spending, AND that does not even include the cost of the Iraq War. We have placed an overwhelming financial burden on our children and grandchildren.
If Ryan were truly a fiscal conservative, what has he done to balance the budget, to eliminate the government’s ‘no bid’ contracts, and to end expensive sub-contracting to private companies? Better check out his PAC donors once again.
Ryan claims government is wasteful and inefficient, yet he continues to promote layers of bureaucracy that would now get intermingled with private enterprise. My overall impression of Rep. Ryan’s plan is that it is just more GOP spin to complicate matters and mislead people into actually believing that he is working for his constituents and not for the special interest groups who are funding him.
Update 2: Here's Ryan's plan in his own words, written as a Wall Street Journal editorial page column. Basically, he's trying to reform every major government (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, tax code, health insurance) program at once. Could it be a play for the vice presidency? It'll be interesting to see if McCain responds/embraces this. Here's a link to the full plan.
Update: Marge Krupp, who is running as a Democrat in the First District, responded to Ryan's proposal Wednesday morning. Here's here statement:
Later today, Congressman Paul Ryan is planning on announcing an 88 page proposal on Healthcare and Social Security, and his Democratic challenger, Marge Krupp issued a key question in regards to his plan, "Why does Paul Ryan want to hurt the senior citizens of Wisconsin?" Krupp, Democratic Candidate for Wisconsin's First Congressional District, challenged Ryan's proposal was working against the financial security of those that she wants to represent, "The seniors of this district count on a monthly Social Security check as part of their income and Paul Ryan is trying to undermine that." Ryan's plan calls for a privatization of Social Security services that some say could lead to a destabilization of the program.Original post:
Also proposed in Ryan's plan is a health insurance tax credit that would allow Americans to purchase a healthcare plan of their choice. Krupp again asked why Paul Ryan would issue such a plan, "This is the same kind of proposition that the Bush Administration has been giving the American people the past eight years, why is Paul Ryan trying to punish our working families and seniors?"
Krupp also noted that Ryan receives tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from private insurance companies and is at the will of these individuals when it comes to issues of Healthcare or Social Security.
Give U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI, 1st District, credit: He sure knows how to keep us in suspense.
On Tuesday he sent out a media advisory promising "to unveil a plan to transform federal government."
But we have to wait until tomorrow to learn what it is!
The press release, with details of the Washington event, and a teleconference we Wisconsin media types can dial into, says Ryan "plans to introduce his bold new initiative to solve America’s looming fiscal and economic crisis. Ryan’s plan, titled A Roadmap for America’s Future, takes a comprehensive approach to fixing the current health care crisis, restoring the promise of Medicare and Social Security, and simplifying the outdated tax code."
The event will take place at 10 a.m. our time; no doubt we'll have news about it later Wednesday.
Ryan also announced an extensive schedule of district listening sessions from May 27 – June 16. Ryan will visit 35 communities. Go to any one of them, and ask him about his new initiative that "seeks to transform our domestic priorities to strengthen American society for future generations."
His full schedule is after the break:
Tuesday, May 27
WALWORTH: 11:30am – 12:30pm, Village Hall, 227 North Main Street
CLINTON: 1:30 – 2:15pm, Village Hall, 301 Cross Street
JANESVILLE: 4:15 – 5:30pm, City Hall, Council Chambers, Room #417, 18 N. Jackson St.
Wednesday, May 28
RACINE: 4:00 – 5:00pm, Gateway Technical College, Racine Building, Great Lakes Room
#110, 901 Pershing Drive, use parking lot D
OAK CREEK: 5:45 – 6:45pm, Police Department, Courtroom, 301 West Ryan Rd.
Thursday, May 29
DELAVAN: 8:00 – 9:00am, City Hall, 123 S. 2nd Street
FONTANA: 9:30 – 10:15am, Village Hall, 175 Valley View Drive
WILLIAMS BAY: 10:30 – 11:15am, Village Hall, 250 Williams Street
LAKE GENEVA: 12:15 – 1:00pm, Public Library, 918 West Main Street
GREENDALE: 2:00 – 2:45pm, Safety Building, 5911 West Grange Ave,
GREENFIELD: 3:00 – 3:45pm, City Hall, Council Chambers 7325 W. Forest Home Ave
Friday, May 30
DARIEN: 8:00 – 9:00am, Village Hall, 24 North Wisconsin Street
EAST TROY: 9:30 – 10:30am, Village Hall, 2106 Church Street
NEW BERLIN: 11:00am – 12:00pm, Citizens Bank of Mukwonago - New Berlin Branch, 5450 S. Moorland Road
HALES CORNERS: 1:00 – 2:00pm, Village Hall, Meadows Room, 5635 S. New Berlin Rd
MUSKEGO: 2:30 – 3:30pm, City Hall, Muskego Room, W182S8200 Racine Ave.
Monday, June 2
SHARON: 8:00 – 8:45am, Community Center, 125 Plain Street
GENOA CITY: 9:30 – 10:30am, Village Hall, 715 Walworth Street
TWIN LAKES: 11:00am – 12:00pm, Village Hall, 108 East Main Street
SILVER LAKE: 1:00 – 2:00pm, Village Hall, 113 South 1st Street
PADDOCK LAKE: 2:30 – 3:15pm, Village Hall, 6969 236th Avenue
PLEASANT PRAIRIE: 4:00 – 5:00pm, Village Hall, Auditorium, 9915 39th Avenue
KENOSHA: 5:30 – 6:30pm, Gateway Technical College, Science Building, Room S137,
3520 30th Avenue
Friday, June 13
MILTON: 8:00 – 9:00am, The Gathering Place, upstairs dining room, 715 Campus Street
EAGLE: 10:00 – 10:45am, Village Hall, 820 East Main Street
NORTH PRAIRIE: 11:00am – 12:00pm, Village Hall, 130 North Harrison
MUKWONAGO: 1:00 – 2:00pm, Village Hall, 440 Rivercrest Court
BIG BEND: 2:30 – 3:15pm, Village Hall, W230S9185 Nevins Street
FRANKLIN: 3:45 – 4:45pm, Police Department, Courtroom, 9455 West Loomis Road
Monday, June 16
ELKHORN: 8:00 – 9:00am, People’s Bank, Community Room, 837 N. Wisconsin St.
BURLINGTON: 9:45 – 10:45am, Gateway Technical College, Rm 100, 496 McCanna Pkwy
WATERFORD: 11:15am – 12:00pm, Village Hall, Council Chambers, 123 N. River St
ROCHESTER: 12:45 – 1:30pm, Municipal Hall, 203 West Main Street
UNION GROVE: 2:00 – 2:45pm, Community State Bank, 1500 Main Street
STURTEVANT: 3:15 – 4:00pm, Village Hall, 2801 89th Street
Boy she has the Democratic party playbook down pat, scare the seniors, rule #1.
ReplyDeleteGarin and Krupp are clueless.
ReplyDeleteRyan has done more work than anyone on addressing the growth of "entitlement" programs beyond the ability of taxpayers to support them.
If we do nothing, our children will face huge tax increases in the future. We need to rein in spending, and fix the entitlement programs. Ryan has consistently supported reforms to do just that, from ending budget earmarks, to transitioning Social Security to a at least a partial ownership basis.
Ryan wants your Social Security savings to belong to you, not be granted at the whim of government. Why shouldn't that money belong to you? It was taken from your paycheck. Why can't you leave it to your children if you die before you retire? Why should blacks, who typically die younger, get less of their money than others?
Most importantly: Who is going to pay your Social Security benefits if we don't fix the system? Do you think your children or grandchildren will work 9 months out of the year to support you? Why should they? Do you really think the economy could survive that level of taxation?
Paul Ryan is trying to DO SOMETHING about these problems. Kudos to him! His opponents are sniping, because they just want to bury their heads in the sand, and hope it goes away.
Krupp, rp editor....= morons
ReplyDelete