Paulette Garin – Press Release
Healthcare: Basically, Ryan is still promoting his Health Savings Account plan. His proposal segregates the high-risk, chronically ill, and those with pre-existing conditions to be subsidized by the individual states. So the burden of cost shifts, but is not diminished. You may derive some benefit from this plan provided nothing serious ever happens to you. It does not appear that his plan does anything to reign in the disproportionate influence of the insurance industry. Why would it? Take a look at his list of campaign PAC donors – BIG Pharma and the insurance industry.
Medicare: On the surface, this appears to be a “privatization” of Medicare, which we are already experiencing with Medicare Advantage. It appears to be another plan where the insurance industry will get to “cherry pick” amongst the healthiest. His proposal limits your choice of insurance providers to a pre-determined list. You really are not free to choose. Better check out which companies are on that list, what relationships they have with our congressman, and who really stands to benefit.
Social Security: Another move toward “privatization.” If this is the same type of plan that he has been advocating for years, you would be limited in your choices as to where you could invest your personal retirement funds. Once again, who stands to benefit – the investment managers on Wall Street? What relationship do they have with our congressman? Better check out his PAC contributions and personal assets. Always be suspicious of "privatization" until you carefully examine what constraints are put upon the program and who will actually gain.
Taxes: Ryan is pushing a “Taxpayer’s Choice Act,” which would basically create a two-tier flat tax system. The highest tax rate would be 25% as compared to the current 35%. While paying lower taxes appears attractive, how does the government make-up for the $840 billion revenue shortfall created by this proposal? We already have a staggering deficit, driven by defense spending, AND that does not even include the cost of the Iraq War. We have placed enough of an overwhelming financial burden on our children and grandchildren.
It’s just the same old GOP strategy to demonize taxes and attract voters when in reality the plan will most likely only benefit the wealthiest amongst us. If Ryan were truly a fiscal conservative, what has he done to balance the budget, to eliminate the government’s ‘no bid’ contracts, and to end expensive sub-contracting to private companies? Better check out his PAC donors once again.
Ryan claims government is wasteful and inefficient, yet he continues to promote layers of bureaucracy that would now get intermingled with private enterprise. My overall impression of Rep. Ryan’s plan is that it is just more GOP spin to complicate matters and mislead people into actually believing that he is working for his constituents and not for the special interest groups who are funding him.
For more information:
Paulette Garin for Congress
View corporate donors (2007) to Rep. Paul Ryan here.
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