Ryan Says One Thing - Votes Another

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Paul Ryan is revered by southern Wisconsin Republicans as Mr. Fiscal Conservative, whatever that means to them, it’s puzzling why he considers transparency and accountability important enough to list in his brochure.

Ryans 2006 Annual Report Excerpt:
"The current practice of pork barrel spending must end, and our budget laws must be reformed to bring more transparency and accountability to the way our tax dollars are spent." – Paul Ryan

Yet, Paul Ryan voted against ending secret earmarks, and Pay-as-you-go.

Roll Call Vote Excerpt:
The new earmark rule requires a public listing and identification of the sponsor of any spending earmarks or narrowly targeted tax breaks in pending bills. This would require disclosure for the first time of the hundreds of earmarked appropriations and special tax breaks sponsored each year to benefit local projects or political friends.

Now, when a House member writes in an earmark for their own district, and buries it in a bill, they will have to sign their name to it. That’s transparency. The same bill Ryan voted against for earmark transparency also restored the “Pay-As-You-Go” rules that requires tax cuts and hikes to be off-set elsewhere in the budget. Since the pork spenders will now be identified through the new transparency, Paygo will add another dimension to earmarks and fiscal discipline as they will now also be accountable to the taxpayers to explain their spending or the taxing that may follow, instead of pawning it off onto future generations. Rep. Paul Ryan voted against this saying it ”will have the practical effect of simply raising taxes. We do not have a tax revenue problem in Washington, we have a spending problem…”

Things don't get simpler than this folks, if you spend beyond your means you will have debt, regardless of how much money you have coming in. Paul Ryan says the treasury is flush in Bush tax cut dollars, that they don't have a revenue problem. I could not have said it any better. Ryan confirms Paygo has the funding and as a ranking member of the House Budget Committee it will be up to his office to avoid it becoming tax as you go. Perhaps that is why he voted against it. Too much responsibility.

If anything, Ryans comments and vote should raise some alarms about his ability to lead the Budget Committee. He may very well be in over his head.