Paul Ryan - Leadership Needed to Save Medicare; Lift Debt Burden; Grow Economy

http://budget.house.gov

Earlier this morning on Meet the Press, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan demanded policymakers get serious about our nation's most pressing problems. Appearing on the program from his home state of Wisconsin, Ryan pushed back against those playing politics with the health security of America's seniors and offering empty promises to future generations.

Ryan called out those who take issue with the House Republicans' proposed solution with no alternative:
"I have no problems with somebody who is offering alternative solutions. I have problems with people who aren't offering any solutions and are just playing politics."

Ryan clarified the real choice on Medicare:
"Let's be clear about what we're proposing here -- this is as sensible and gradual as it gets. We're saying no changes for Medicare for people at or above the age of 55. In order to keep the promise to current seniors who have already retired and organized their lives around this program, you have to reform it for the next generation. The way in which we propose to reform it for the next generation -- in keeping with Bill Clinton's bipartisan commission to reform Medicare -- is an idea that's been around for a long time called premium support: guaranteed coverage options for Medicare, where the government subsidizes the poor and the sick a whole lot more than the wealthy, and people get to choose. We're saying: do not affect current seniors, give future seniors the ability to deny business to inefficient providers. By contrast, the President's plan is to give government the power to deny care to seniors by empowering a panel of 15 unelected bureaucrats to put price controls and rationing in place for current seniors."

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  News & Politics

[bubthegreat1]

I love how all this idiot anchor wants to do is instigate a fight between Ryan and Gingrich. Get over the political drama, and start making solutions!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tbwil11]

ynot just privatize it and get the government out of it? Personal retirement accounts.

[poindexterwitkowsky]

`GOP's Paul Ryan uses"projection"when ACCUSING Obama of"class warfare". CLASS WARFARE is whatREPUBLICAN$ have been waging for the last 30 yrs.Since the Reagan&Bush tax cuts,the wealthest have been paying less tax than at anytime in America's history.+More jobs have been lost in said period than at anytime since1929.PAULIE,everyone form NY to Janesville,WI(your hometown)to Seattle knows that YOU are out to DESTROY MEDICARE.TAKE YOUR CORPORATE DONATIONS& RETIRE.YOU'RE FINISHED.

[Neosaigo]

Which liberal policy? You mean the Iraq and Afghan war? You mean the 14 trillion we end up having to pay the big banks and wall street to prevent a depression, which was caused by deregulation of the free market?

Yeah, George W. Bush sure is a liberal.... /facepalm

[ccam96]

I don't hear Ryan talking about changing the FICA tax structure. He just wants to make cuts. Adjust the overall revenue projections and make FICA a progressive tax similar to income taxes. FICA brackets.

[ccam96]

@tbwil11 The 15% FICA stops at about the first $106K in income. All income above this is not taxed. The top 1% of Americans barely pays for Medicare and Social Security as a percentage of their incomes. If they are so concerned about Medicare and SS, then they should be willing to pay more. In fact, FICA is a regressive tax structure that hits mainly the middle class and poor. Lower the overall FICA tax rate and make it progressive as currently done for income taxes.

[ccam96]

@moussiaquilda Don't you think it's also selfish that the middle class subsidizes the top 1% to such an extent that they pay 25-30% of their gross incomes in taxes while the top teir pays only 17% on average? That's selfish. End the Bush tax cuts, end the wars, implement a means test for social security. This could all be done without hurting the people who rely on these programs the most. To do otherwise would undermine the principles of this great country.

[GOPkicksbutt]

Thanks to liberal policies America can no longer afford to pay for medicare, social security, unemployment and many other services. We also need to lower the minimum wage to $2/hr in order to compete with China and bring jobs back home. Fiscally responsible conservatives like Paul Ryan and Michele Bachmann know this and are currently

working to end these wasteful handout programs and bring the minimum wage down so that America can be great again. God bless the GOP!