As reported in the Janesville Gazette this week, Rep. Paul Ryan's hometown was awarded a $1.2 million federal construction grant to build a small-business incubator. The city had to agree to a 25-percent match of $400,000 which was extracted from a TIF district surplus.
The federal money is coming from the Community Trade Adjustment Assistance Program which is part of President Obama's "stimulus" American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It should be noted that Ryan has repeatedly said that by any objective measure and account, the stimulus has failed and should be repealed - so we know he had nothing to do with it. Apparently however, there are plenty of Janesville locals that welcome the business incubator.
I bring this up because there is a huge disconnect, or shall I say an absence of local media coverage given to Rep. Paul Ryan's efforts to save local jobs and promote economic development within his own district. More accurately though is the reason why this information disconnect seems to exist in the first place: that the media in all honesty has regarding Ryan's efforts, absolutely nothing to report on.
In a recent interview with the Gazette editorial staff, they had nothing to report on other than his perspective on the Tea Party movement's effect on getting elected to another term. It's not like there are any other priorities to discuss. Truly pathetic all around.
So, lets forget about Ryan's representative efforts for a moment. We already know he does nothing economically stimulating and is hostile to any federal help coming into our district. If I'm wrong, feel free to challenge that statement.
But Ryan places plenty of importance on the upcoming election. So the only fair questions to ask the local media are: where are the stories reporting on the interactions of the area's public officials with Paul Ryan? Why aren't we having stories on the Janesville city manager's interactions with the congressman? Has Ryan been receptive to sponsoring earmarks in Congress? What about interactions with the city's new economic development director and so forth and so on? If we won't get Ryan's position, then at least why aren't we getting their positions on Ryan? Are they standing with us or are they standing with him? Explain. Where are the local business group's views on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act? If they are supporters of Paul Ryan, shouldn't they demand the money not be accepted? We just don't know.
The country is facing a projected $1.4 trillion dollar federal deficit this year and the state of Wisconsin faces a structural $2.7 billion deficit, where does Ryan stand on deficit spending up to $1.5 billion for an interstate expansion through his district?
Ryan's base of supporters, mostly wealthy "free marketers" of Forward Janesville and the Rock County 5.0 group are eagerly pushing for the massive government spending. Does their position mesh with the congressman's so-called fiscal conservatism? If it doesn't, will they support electing a new representative for the district? If not, why not? How can they reconcile their support for Ryan if he opposes their massive deficit spending agenda? Conversely, if Ryan doesn't oppose Forward Janesville's legislative agenda, where's the explanation from Ryan justifying the deficit spending? Remember, this is a guy who is against all government spending stimulus and doesn't blink cutting off your Social Security if it means he gets a tax cut in the near future.
Equally offensive, in the Gazette article about the business incubator, the newspaper mixed in a plug for a business "contest" sponsored by the Rock County 5.0, a Ryan-base support group that gets plenty of Gazette ink and credit for spurring area economic development when in reality - other than lobbying government, they have done very, very little.
After claiming they've raised over a million dollars for their economic development initiative, whatever that is, their only development so far is nothing more than a publicity stunt masquerading as a contest offering $25,000 worth of members goods and services to help the "winning" business entry accelerate their business plan. In the meantime, a real economic development business incubator has to be funded by the government? Where is the free market? Yet, if they don't object, does that mean they now support Barack Obama?
So far in less than a year, President Obama's stimulus program has saved more jobs in the short term and seeded more opportunities for the locals than Ryan has done over his entire career. Still, that's not saying too much - for Barack Obama that is.
So, where is the reporting on Ryan's efforts for economic development in his district? Oh, I'm sorry, I've already explained that part.
4 comments:
If Ryan oversees this entity then what is the connection to him with anyone working for it?
Does the entity pay for any of Ryan's or any of his family member's expenses?
Pardon me, but I don't exactly get the point of your questions. Ryan doesn't oversee any of the entities listed here, that I'm aware of.
"In the meantime, a real economic development business incubator has to be funded by the government?"
Why didn't the economic development groups Rock County 5.0 fund the business incubator entirely by themselves? Calling it part of a "three-legged-stool" is an apologetic cop-out for those "free market" groups.
Oh, we're for the free markets but we'll let government pay to start it up and later blame Obama and the democrats for the deficit spending. Ryan and his supporters don’t care how hypocritical they look. They have no respect for the intelligence of the voters, which is why their policies tend to appeal to people who are not very intelligent.
Where are the local teabaggers on the spending?
+++++ crickets +++++
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