Paul Ryan on Washington's Borrow and Spend Spree

Paul Ryan, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee
For more: http://house.gov/budget_republicans

On the lessons from Europe

We are doubling down on this neo-Keynesian borrow and spend spree. It's not working. We've lost 3.6 million jobs since the last stimulus was passed and they want to do more of the same. Bailing out state governments is the next roll of the dice. We are copying European economic policies of the past and that is going to give us a European kind of debt crisis in the future if we don't change our policies. Yet the President is doubling down, giving us a big debt hangover.

On whether there will be the votes in Congress for the President's demands for more spending

The President got those same centrist Democrats to vote for a budget that doubles our debt in five years and triples our debt in ten years. He got those same centrist Democrats to vote for $1.8 trillion dollars in new spending and $670 billion in new taxes in this session of Congress. He has always gotten, along with Speaker Pelosi, the votes needed to engage in their continued spending spree.

On Washington's failed economic doctrine

What we have right now is a neo-Keynesian model being pushed, which means spend, spend, spend -- and they still have no problem with all of these tax increases. This economic doctrine conveniently fits a political ideology. This political agenda is built upon building government programs, building up spending -- and they use this economic doctrine to satisfy their political pent up demand. The so-called "stimulus" was not about jobs as much as it was spending money on all these programs that they have wanted to spend on for a long time. Now that they have Congress and the White House, the spending spigot is wide open.

On better solutions from House Republicans:

In Congress, Eric Cantor, the House Republican Whip, has formed an economic growth working group, focused on jobs and economic recovery. I put out an alternative budget last year that cut 4.8 trillion out of the spending line and actually got us on track to pay off our debt. This year, Democrats are not even doing a budget. House Republicans continue to put out better alternatives -- aimed to keep taxes low, get a grip on spending and entitlements, and prevent us from becoming a stagnant welfare state, which is clearly unsustainable as we're seeing in Europe.

On having a better grasp than most in Congress on economic issues:

It's not a very high bar to clear.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• paul-ryan
• budget

[Lynne7777777]

Representative Paul Ryan IS the sharpest pencil in the box! His ability to communicate the truth about economic issues is unmatched.

[nprbiz]

Rep Ryan you could do it. If you entered the primary i guarantee you'll get the support of the GOP. The criminal element in the republican party would have no choice but to get behind you. You could change everything, for real.  Please run and fix the deficit, end the fed, repeal the exec orders,reform health care the right way for everyone as outlined in your plan, re-establish our country's credibility in the world. If not you, than who can you honestly say that could do better. It's U.

[Vetwolf13]

The one good thing about Ryan's budget proposal is that it will put a lot of right wingers out of thier jobs and homes. They'll have to move in with the kids who won't have jobs either. Many will die from lack of proper affordable health care. I'm all for that.

[luke55664]

@Buergs323 5 years 10 years 20 years is not the issue. Nothing is impossible to achieve. Only those without sound principles and policy will fail in the proliferation of liberty and freedom. This current administration a case in point. Freedom and liberty costs more than mere words. Our predecessors will attest to that readily.

[luke55664]

@Buergs323 Sounds like you are in agreement with me with regard to liberation from tyranny. I think you'd be surprised at the number of those that are appreciative towards the US for doing just that. Founders were definitely the brightest and most successful we had to offer, unlike today's congress. Keep in mind that the Federalist papers are just that, they were pushed aside and replaced with "The Bill of Rights" respectively. They only give us context with regard to the Founders' will.

[Buergs323]

@luke55664

In 5 years or so when or if we get the hell out of there you'll (hopefully) realize how impossible it was.

First of all, a young America had tremendous leaders, speakers, writers that knew and understood true freedom. They wrote the Federalist Papers, they spoke to their community about freedom, and they inspired the colonies to rise up and fight for freedom. No leader in Iraq is doing such a thing. America is a rare breed.

I friended you to send those links...

[luke55664]

@Buergs323 Only we can do democracy right? But then I would imagine you'd argue anything I post for sake of argument. Your posts along with your "Facts of the matter" need a great deal to be desired. Sorry but it is painful to engage in discourse with you.......hope you can find more faith in people. One thing is for sure....the old ways are quite oppressive/counter productive and quite deadly in many cases. Democracy is new to them, they will iron it out over time in their own interests.

[luke55664]

@Buergs323 I mentioned Iraq only.............And No, I didn't read where Iraq's elections were farcical. Can you forward report/article/experiment/stud­y/survey/poll.......thanks.

[Buergs323]

@luke55664

The fact of the matter is this: we have been a nation of laws for nearly 2 and a half centuries. Meanwhile, Iraq and Afghanistan live and breathe corruption in their governments. You really expect their governments to cooperate? If they wanted to they would have by now...

Also some of the most corrupt and evil governments have had large "democratic" electoral turnouts...should I list off the dictators that were "democratically elected"? That shows no sign of a true rep democratic

[Buergs323]

@luke55664

But did you happen to read how corrupt that election turned out? What about Afghanistan? The ballot stuffing for Karzai wasn't a sign of trouble? Or the highly corrupt judicial system and their the illicit opium trade being the one economic activity that not only survived, but flourished, during and after the war. It now it accounts for more than half of the country’s GDP and is said to involve corrupt government officials at every level. I guess you just slipped past that I guess.

[luke55664]

@Buergs323 Sorry, but I don't see anyone forcing anyone to do anything. I don't know where you get your figures but Muslims have killed more Muslims worldwide than any other human entity in the history of human civilization. All of course, in the name of Islam. Also, you may or may not find this an interesting fact, but voter turnout in Iraq's last election was a greater % per capita than here in our own representative democracy. Now that is "Irony."....but then we forced it upon them right?

[Buergs323]

@luke55664

Orrrr about the 100,000+ civilian deaths related to the war...hmmm.

It's pretty ironic that we call ourselves free when we try to spread our beliefs through FORCE....pretty odd...