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Making America more like Wisconsin

Reader says Ryan’s agenda same as Walker’s

With the selection of Rep. Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House, we have now achieved the Wisconsin Trifecta: Reince Priebus, Scott Walker and now Ryan are all major players in turning one of the most progressive states in the Union into one of the most regressive.

The most interesting question right now, is what direction will Ryan go now that he is speaker.

Remember Ryan’s much heralded budget plans when he ran as millionaire Mitt Romney’s vice presidential candidate in 2012?

Robert Reich, an economist who served as labor secretary, remembers those proposals and recently wrote about seven things that Ryan will almost assuredly have on his agenda as speaker.

Ryan will seek to reduce top income brackets from 35 percent to 25 percent, giving a larger income to those who are already taking home a largest portion of the nation’s total income since the run-up to the Great Depression.

As speaker, Ryan will also work to cut corporate taxes from 35 percent to 25 percent, giving these corporations freebies when they are already socking away $ 1.3 trillion in foreign tax shelters.

In order to make these further tax cuts for the rich without adding to the federal budget deficit, a Republican-controlled House under Ryan would reduce spending on programs like food stamps and educating our children in poor school districts. Currently, 18 percent of our nation’s children live in poverty and these federal programs offer them an opportunity to make their way out of the situation.

Republicans could also turn Medicaid and other programs for our poor into block grants, allowing state legislatures to decide how the funds will be used. Imagine Scott Walker and his cronies using those funds.

Ryan has proposed turning Medicare into vouchers, which will not keep up with rising medical costs. Our elderly will be the most seriously affected.

Republicans would also deal with the rising Social Security costs by raising the retirement age. Once again impacting the poor, as they have shorter life expectancies than the rich.

Finally, Ryan opposes raising the minimum wage, thereby eroding the ability of the working poor to afford even the most basic necessities.

With Ryan in charge of the House we may see attempts to enact the same kind of policies on the federal level that are destroying the middle class in Wisconsin.

George Lorenz
Waupaca

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