Rather Snooze than Lose With Ryan's SS Reform

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Tuesday’s Janesville Gazette contained yet another Paul Ryan election campaign article, this time masquerading as an editorial. The newspaper however chose Social Security as the subject to promote their guy and defended his past positions by stating obviously vague terms and forgiving generalizations. They could have picked nearly anyone else in Congress if they were really serious about promoting reforms to guarantee Social Security's future. Make no mistake, this editorial is designed to promote their hometown hero - again.

A few years ago, I attended the Ryan/Dean Baker SS debate held at Parker High in Janesville, and just to make it short, I learned Ryan is no friend of Social Security. Back then, Ryan was serious about privatizing most of the revenue being paid into the system from payroll taxes. Back then like today, Ryan and his Gazette campaign staff shared the same urgency to “reform” Social Security.

JG Gazette Editorial Excerpt:
Critics will point out that, a few years ago, Ryan joined President Bush in pushing for privatizing Social Security.

That’s putting it mildly. Ryan was hand-picked by Bush to lead the White House charge against Social Security.

In a nutshell, Ryan wants to privatize the security in Social Security the very same way the care in Medicare is. Today, our problems in Medicare are far more urgent because the high costs necessary to produce dividends for the few far outweigh the health needs of the many. Government isn’t crushing Medicare – privatization is. Just a few days before, largely due to fall-out from Wall Street, the editors of the Gazette posted a cartoon poking fun at the absurdity of privatizing Social Security.Sure, we can laugh now and dismiss the idea but back then, to Ryan, this was no laughing matter. This was HIS idea. Big joke now.

JG Gazette Editorial Excerpt:
Congressman Ryan has been a staunch advocate of protecting Social Security and understands the problem.

Is that so? Then why did he vote NO on strenghtening the Social Security Lockbox. This bill required that any budget surplus CANNOT be spent until the solvency of Social Security is guaranteed. Ryan’s “NO” accelerates the speed to insolvency. Ryan’s “NO” says yes to spending the budget surplus. In my opinion, Ryan is not an advocate of Social Security. Not even close.

JG Gazette Editorial Excerpt:
As Ryan says: "Hitting the snooze button, yet again, is not the right choice.

In light of current events, I wouldn't be too sure about that. Had we accepted the Bush/Ryan Social Security Reform of the not too distant past, it turns out, snoozing was better than losing. Thank goodness we can laugh about it.

Ryan is rated 10% by the ARA, indicating an anti-senior voting record.

Tammy Baldwin, the representative for Wisconsin’s 2nd District which covers the western half of Rock County, is rated 100% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record.