Rand, Ryan and GOP Crypto-Cultists Wired Together

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Saw this at The Paul Ryan Watch and couldn't resist revisiting it here.

From Wisconsin' Biggest Embarrassment Tries To Debate Ezra Klein-- But Not Ayn Rand

Huff Post Excerpt:

Republicans Must Choose Between Ayn Rand And Jesus
Chuck Colson is one of the lions of the Christian right and the head of Prison Fellowship, which, all politics aside, is the best thing coming from the Christian right and a powerful ministry to a segment of society even progressives often ignore.

But Colson condemned the strong support of Rand in Republican and conservative circles and urged his followers not only to stay away from the new film of Rand's book Atlas Shrugged, but to "stay away from anyone who intends to watch the film." Colson goes on to say Rand and her followers were precisely the types of "cranks" and "crypto-cultists" that his friend Bill Buckley had fought to purge from conservative ranks. He says the "real problem with Rand is the world view her novels and other writings sought to inculcate in her readers... it's hard to imagine a world view more antithetical to Christianity.

Paul Ryan and Ayn Rand do a major disservice to their respective belief systems. Ryan as a Roman Catholic throws his religion's path to prosperity under a bus, a path morally centered on the teachings and work of Jesus Christ.

According to Pope John Paul II, Christianity is the pathway for an individual's highest personal wealth NOT built on the accumulation of capital or possessions, but on a spiritual awakening to apply energy in defense of the cornerstones of human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity. It is justice that must prevail and prosper. This flies directly in the face of Ayn Rand and her cast of cultists.

At the same time, Rand's cold hearted immorality and soulless human disconnect throws atheism under another bus by re-enforcing the false stereotype that atheists lack the personal discipline and clarity of high morals or Christian-like character simply because they don't believe in the existence of deities.

Catholic Social Teaching

Solidarity is undoubtedly a Christian virtue. It seeks to go beyond itself to total gratuity, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It leads to a new vision of the unity of humankind, a reflection of God's triune intimate life. It is a unity that binds members of a group together. All the peoples of the world belong to one human family. We must be our brother's keeper, though we may be separated by distance, language or culture.

Related: Ryan's Worship of Selfishness Ain't Rand With Catholicism

Janesville Forum on How Ryan Would Destroy Medicare.

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Speakers Will Be:

Rob Zerban, Kenosha County Supervisor and candidate for the 1st Congressional District (Paul Ryan's), author of the website, Hands Of My Grandma.Com"

Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, author of “Rep. Paul Ryan's Budget Plan a “Trojan horse” Assault on American Values”

Tuesday, June 14
6 PM - 6:30 PM, cheese & cracker reception (nonalcoholic potluck)
6:30 PM - 8 PM, speakers & discussion

Basics Food Cooperative
1711 Lodge Dr Janesville, Wisconsin

Ryan Was In Trouble Before Newt and New York

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Paul Ryan's unexpected decision to not seek the first open Wisconsin senate seat in 24 years took out whatever air was left in the sails of the state's republican shipwreck skippered by the equally polarizing Scott Walker. Walker lit Wisconsin's political landscape on fire igniting huge protests and with further help from legislative arsonists, continued unabated to scorch and feed opposing constituencies at record speed. The enraged middle-class electorate narrowed what was supposed to be an easy 30 point victory for incumbent State Justice David Prosser down to a nail-biting one point victory. Those in Wisconsin politics know that despite Prosser's win, the state GOP had their ass handed to them.

Reeling from sweeping gains by anti-Walker votes at the ballot box, state republicans are now fighting to keep their sold-out hides saddled in government jobs after they rammed through a series of regressive bills and resolutions aimed at centralizing power, breaking down the will of wage earning taxpayers, re-distributing tax revenues upward to wealthy corporate supporters under the guise of job creation and regulating the electorate with a restrictive voter ID permit. Recalls are well beyond the stage of wishful thinking - they are in progress.

After flippantly claiming republicans are "on a roll" at the GOP state convention, Scott Walker had no choice but to tell loyal partisans to forget about the United States Senate seat Ryan lost confidence in winning and instead warned them that they must work to protect six state legislators from being recalled. Their waning support is simply spread too thin to battle on more than one front. Wisconsin Republicans have the momentum alright, the momentum of desperation.

Those obstacles of association proved to Ryan that the fight to win the senate seat would no longer be on his bank-rolled terms but instead a grueling uphill battle against a well-informed and determined population with all the right momentum. And THAT'S without his kill Medicare proposal.

Now too, the Supreme Court election in Wisconsin gave the opposing forces an inkling of each other's strength. Those working diligently to restore hard fought freedoms and democracy in Wisconsin can now make some adjustments and regroup with growing numbers of converts for the next round of elections. Paul Ryan and his Wall Street pollsters know this. After being spoon-fed election victory after victory during the course of his political career, he wanted no part of this sort of unpredictability.

Yet despite showing no confidence in state GOP politics, Ryan had no qualms about telling others in his party "not to start wobbling" after Republicans just lost a seat to Democrat Kathy Hochul in New York's 26th congressional district Tuesday night. Even Bill Clinton acknowledged that Paul Ryan's proposal to privatize and voucherize Medicare played a major role in the GOP's loss in a traditionally Republican district.

Now I'm not suggesting Kohl's senate seat will be a cake walk for democrats to win - not at all. They'll have to earn it. But the trends are beginning to take shape. Walker lit the state on fire and Ryan's deceptive proposal to "save" Medicare by raising future senior's out-of-pocket costs 500% by transforming the government program into a voucherized private insurance subsidy while cutting taxes for the top is the perfect accelerant for a perfect storm.

Similar but Different

Scot Ross What's behind Ryan's Decision

Ezra Klein asks, Why did Senate Republicans vote for Ryan's plan?

For many of them, the risk of NOT voting for Ryan's plan was equivalent to the risk of not voting for Paul Ryan, which is a warning to any GOPer who dares cross the Wall Street linchpin. Newt Gingrich got a taste of it.

Businesses Will Operate In a Socialist State Under Walker

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Like in China. But everybody else will suffer under capitalism.

According to a bill being pushed by state republicans, new and existing industrial plants in Wisconsin would receive discounted electric rates from electric providers. Rates would go up for everyone else to make up for the lost revenue. Bill opponents say that's not fair.

Post Crescent Excerpt:
The discount also would apply to businesses that prove they can no longer afford to operate in the state, but only if they receive $500,000 or more in economic development assistance from local governments.

This is outrageous. It flies in the face of years of hard fought energy conservation efforts, punishes the many for the profits of the few and rewards failure. Yeah, we'll socialize your losses even more but only providing previous massive government hand-outs failed to bootstrap your incompetence. This bill is from the "failed business suckling on the government teat is better than no business at all" free market conservative party.

Post Crescent Excerpt:
"Whatever big business wants, big business gets (from Republicans)," Hulsey said. "The rest of us are going to pay higher utility rates, and they don't necessarily create new jobs."

This post was written at the expense of wrongly denigrating socialism.

Janesville Cashes In TIF Surplus Cache To Help Balance Walker's Cuts

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In a move not likely to have happened before Scott Walker's budget proposal to cut Janesville’s portion of state shared revenue by 23 percent, the Janesville city council voted unanimously to approve terminating a TIF District ten years earlier than required by law. A total of $1.67 million is expected to be distributed to cash-strapped local jurisdictions within the next 30 days.

JG Excerpt:
The city has a policy of dissolving TIF districts as soon as the bills are paid, “and we waited a little big longer on this one because, quite frankly, it is a hot area and there is still land to be sold,” Grassman said.

It's no secret that Janesville administrators are very fond of enticing well-heeled local developers with tax revenue capital from these legalized slush funds, but to now use the excess money to help plug budget holes created in part by state aid shortfalls to local jurisdictions including the school district is unheard of around here, but a natural response to Walker's budget proposal. I applaud this decision by the city council.

Unfortunately, this also works right into Walker's hands of centralized government. While Walker's budget cuts over $800 million from education and plumps his centralized economic development corporation with $250 million in state tax revenue, Wisconsin communities are making up for the state aid shortfall by shifting local economic development money back into education. This of course will leave communities without the capital resources to seed economic growth.

Knowing Walker's apparent lust for power, I'm also surprised he hasn't demanded all municipal TIF surplus capital throughout Wisconsin be turned over to fill the treasury of his new economic development corporation, or to at least call a moratorium on early TIF terminations. That might be his next move.

But what Janesville did could be the start of an interesting trend to watch for and follow. If other communities start cashing in TIF surplus usually destined for economic development to make up for Walker-induced state aid shortfalls, Walker eventually will be the only authority in town for developers.

Perhaps that is exactly how he wants it.

It's not "Wisconsin is Broke." It's Wisconsin is Broken.

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The following are excerpts from the JS Online article State proposal would send $250 million to certified capital companies.

Firms would keep 80% of profit, wouldn't have to repay principal

Legislation that Gov. Scott Walker says will create jobs would provide hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks to insurance companies, while giving control of a $250 million fund to out-of-state financial management companies that would not have to pay back the fund's principal and would keep up to 80% of its profits.

In written testimony submitted for the hearing, Tom Hefty, the former chief executive of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Wisconsin, called the program "the largest special interest Wisconsin tax cut in history masquerading as an economic development initiative."

The $200 million in tax credits would never have to be repaid to the state. The payback, supporters say, would come from the job creation and business growth that would result from the investments.

Paul Ryan Fast Becoming An Anchor Around GOP's Neck

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Frum Forum Excerpt:
But unfortunately, the trigger for today’s Journal attack was not Gingrich’s divisive or racially provocative statements. The trigger was actually a wise statement: a caution against committing the GOP to a huge rework of Medicare into a means-tested program that left more and more American seniors to pay more and more of their health insurance costs out of their own pockets.

John Nichols Excerpt:
House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, has turned so "toxic" he can’t get away from the protests that began when he came home last month to try to sell his plan to gut Medicare and Medicaid.

And it is starting to cost him politically. The former "golden boy" of national Republican politics has tarnished his brand to such an extent that, on Tuesday, he had to relinquish his long-cherished dream of running for the U.S. Senate to replace Democratic Senator Herb Kohl.

For the first time in Ryan's spoon-fed political career, he's starting to look over his shoulder.

Atlantic Wire Excerpt:
Some Republicans are daring to show some discomfort with Ryan's budget, despite the Gingrich example. Second-ranking Republican Lamar Alexander says he'll vote for the Ryan plan but prefers one offered by Sen. Pete Domenici with the help of former White House budget director Alice Rivlin. Susan Collins says she won't vote for Ryan's bill, and fellow Mainer Olympia Snowe is leaning against it. Scott Brown said he'd vote for the bill--and his staff scrambled to clarify that he'd merely vote "on" it. Kay Bailey Hutchinson says it'll be a "problem" if she can't vote to amend the Ryan budget, which is likely to be the case. Dick Lugar says he hasn't decided how to vote.

The New Republic's Jonathan Chait described the debate as "a worst-of-all-worlds situation for the GOP."

The Political Environment Excerpt:
Conservative GOP Senate candidates, like Virginia's George Allen, are already distancing themselves from the plan; which incumbents with seats to defend in 2012 want angry constituents showing up at their town hall meetings for the next year-and-a-half?

Ron Johnson might think people will forget his "Yes" vote: prove him wrong.

The Paul Ryan Watch Excerpt:
And here's a short video clip of an interview yesterday with Alan Grayson talking about how the Republicans went tragically wrong by following Ryan down the Wall Street rabbit hole:

Help defeat Ryan in his reelection bid. Rob Zerban will make a far better representative for southeast Wisconsin. Please consider making a contribution at Stop Paul Ryan.

Paul Ryan's New Deal Would Screw District Constituents

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From the DailyBeast, Paul Ryan Barbecues His Backyard

Excerpts

The House GOP’s fiscal star touted his “Path to Prosperity” anew Monday. But a Daily Beast analysis of the numbers shows his plan would squeeze the hell out of his own constituents.

The Path to Prosperity would eventually force the 90,776 Medicare recipients currently living in Wisconsin's First Congressional District, or a full 13.5 percent of Ryan's constituents, to shell out a lot more for insurance, or to accept less bang for their buck.

Esther Osmond is a good example. Current estimates show that by 2030, Osmond, an 86-year-old resident of Ryan’s hometown of Janesville, would be paying about 25 percent of her premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Under Ryan’s plan, however, her share of those costs is projected (again, by the CBO) to soar to 68 percent. At that point, Wisconsin seniors like Osmond would have a choice: either buy a Medicare-caliber private plan, which the CBO estimates would cost more than double the projected price of old-fashioned Medicare, or cut back on how comprehensive their insurance is. Reached by phone, Osmond didn’t need to hear the details of Ryan’s proposal before delivering her verdict. She knew them already. “I think it’s crazy!” she shouted. “And that’s about all I think!” Then she hung up.

Medicaid is a similar story.

The Path to Prosperity would convert all federal Medicaid payments into block grants... In Ryan’s district, this would amount to an estimated annual cut of $360 million—which, in turn, would affect not only the 101,500 poor, disabled, and elderly area residents who currently rely on Medicaid for coverage, but many of his other constituents as well. Faced with such a massive shortfall, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services would have to restrict services, limit enrollment, and lower payments to health-care providers—or fill the new funding gap by raising taxes and slashing other state programs. (Kaiser estimates that between 513,000 and 786,000 Wisconsinites would fall off the Medicaid rolls by 2021; proportionally, about 60,000 to 93,000 WI-1 residents would be among them.) Fewer poor people would be admitted to the more than 140 nursing homes and hospitals in Ryan’s district, which would struggle to stay afloat, and some medical professionals might lose their jobs, harming local economies. “States like Wisconsin would be forced to make some very hard decisions,” says Robin Rudowitz, Kaiser’s principal Medicaid policy analyst.

Infrastructure and Schools would also be torched...

District-wide federal spending on bridges and roads would drop by more than 37 percent, or $4.5 million, by 2021; at the same time, federal support for R&D would fall by roughly $600,000—a 28 percent reduction. The biggest short-term cuts, however, would hit WI-1's public-school system, which would watch its federal funding plummet 53 percent over the next eight years, from $72 million to $34 million.

Does anyone benefit from Ryan's proposal? Of course - the wealthy! More at the Daily Beast