Sunday, June 23, 2013

Ryan now pushing means test for Poor; no more than $2000 in savings and a car not worth over $5000.

Paul Ryan's been busy lately building up a list of arguments against his reelection. Besides the comment he made a few days ago saying nine out of 10 of those who do not succeed fail to do so because of deficiencies in their character, he's gotten some additional notice elsewhere.

Ryan now wants to means test the poor, because poverty in this country is way overrated:
HuffingtonPost: Rep. Paul Ryan is back to his old tricks, demonizing people who rely on
government ... He's already come out in favor of $20 billion in cuts that will throw an estimated two million children, elderly, and disabled Americans off food stamps. But now Ryan is pushing an amendment to eliminate food stamps for people who have $2,000 in savings, or a car worth more than $5,000.

The CBO found that this would throw 1.8 million people off of the program. The Hill reported: "Most of these would be low-income seniors and working families with children. These families typically live paycheck to paycheck. Denying them the ability to save for emergencies, such as fixing a car, or unexpected expenses, such as buying a uniform for a new job, only makes them more dependent on government resources, not less."
Here's where Paul Ryan past plays comes back to haunt him:
The Hill: Last summer, in his speech to the GOP convention in Tampa, Ryan told a story about how, after his father's death, his mother "got on a bus every weekday for years, and rode 40 miles each morning to Madison."

She earned a new degree and learned new skills to start her small business.It wasn't just a new livelihood. It was a new life. And it transformed my Mom from a widow in grief to a small businesswoman whose happiness wasn't just in the past. Her work gave her hope. It made our family proud. And to this day, my Mom is my role model. Ryan meant this as a celebration of his mother's lift-herself-by-her-own-bootstraps spirit.

But shouldn't someone remind Ryan that the bus was a public service, that the road was built and maintained by government, and that the University of Wisconsin in Madison is a public institution? This is the Paul Ryan whose budget plan would have slashed funding for public education, roads, and public services that are the investments we need to lift people out of poverty and strengthen our economy.

The Hill missed the most ironic thing from Ryan's past:
WPRI: With his father’s passing, young Paul collected Social Security benefits until age 18, which he put away for college. College costs have skyrocketed since Ryan entered Miami University in 1988, yet Ryan wants to slash the very system that he benefited from because it produces “dependency.”

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