Report On Ryan's Partisanship

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Today I received Rep. Paul Ryan’s 2007 Annual Report in the mail and decided to compare it to his 2006 Report. This is relatively easy considering both reports are three pages long and laid out in similar fashion with colorful wheels and charts. Of course, you needed to read them side-by-side to pick up on the subtleties and his change in priorities. Comparing them on the Web proved to be a little more challenging.

In the 2006 brochure, when Ryan’s party still held the majority, his enemy was social spending.

Ryan’s 2006 Annual Report Excerpt:
Every year, mandatory spending continues to take up a larger portion of the federal budget. At current rates, the three major entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) will take up our entire budget by 2035.

Also in the 2006 brochure, Ryan referred to Congress by name only a few times, but when he did, his tone was agreeable. He also gave credit to the Republican-led government for job creation and implied their efforts ended the 9/11 induced recession in June, 2003.

Ryan’s 2006 Annual Report Excerpt:
In 2003, Congress reduced taxes on individuals and American businesses……..Nearly 2 million jobs were added this year (2006), pushing the total number of jobs created since the end of the recession in June 2003 to nearly 7 million.

But Ryan views his 2007 enemy differently now, and he takes on a more partisan approach.

Ryan’s 2007 Annual Report Excerpt:
In contrast, the Majority in the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget relying on the largest tax increase in U.S. history………Late this month, Congress passed a large spending bill, which bundled……For citizens to regain faith in their government, we have to change the way Congress spends…

Suddenly, it’s Congress and not the social programs that is Ryan’s top enemy. And it’s no wonder. Congress is now led by a democratic majority. But how does Ryan relate to the social entitlements in his latest report?

Ryan’s 2007 Annual Report Excerpt:
Earlier this year, I wrote a budget alternative that balances the budget in five years and stops the government from spending the Social Security surplus……

The point here of course is that domestic spending is now overshadowed by the new democratic runaway Congress, at least in Ryan's eyes. Make no mistake, Ryan has no intentions of increasing participation in Social Security if necessary to save it. Finally, Ryan references his fellow Republicans only the way a partisan can.

Ryan’s 2007 Annual Report Excerpt:
Due to the Minority’s efforts, this final bill, also known as the “Omnibus Appropriations Bill,” includes funding the troops in the War in Iraq and Afghanistan and spending was reduced to meet the President’s funding level of $933 billion in 2008.

Without comparing the reports side-by-side, both seem harmlessly informative. But clearly they are not, and neither is Paul Ryan.