Ryan: ‘We Don’t Want A Dependency Culture’

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM



PEMA LEVY 11:36 AM EST, SUNDAY JANUARY 27, 2013

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) was on the defensive Sunday when asked to respond to a line in President Obama's second inaugural address that entitlements are not turning the United States into a nation of "takers" -- a line that seemed largely targeted at rebutting Ryan.

"We don't want a dependency culture. We want a safety net that makes sure that people don't fall through the cracks, that gets people on their feet. Americans want the American Dream," Ryan said on NBC's "Meet the Press. "And so our concern in this country is with the idea that more and more able-bodied people are becoming dependent upon the government than upon themselves for their livelihoods. We want to make sure that we don't continue that trend."

On what programs are actually making people dependent on government, Ryan gave the example of people using food stamps who don't need them.

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Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/ryan-we-dont-want-dependency-culture

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Ryan: GOP Has To ‘Expand Our Appeal

PEMA LEVY 11:46 AM EST, SUNDAY JANUARY 27, 2013

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Sunday that the take away for Republicans from the 2012 elections is that the party needs to expand its appeal by more effectively presenting conservatism as the best way to address the nation's problems.

"We have to expand our appeal to more people and show how we will take the country's founding principles and apply them to the problems of the day to offer solutions to fix our problems," Ryan said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "We have to show our ideas are better at fighting poverty, how our ideas are better at solving health care, how our ideas are better at solving the problems that people are experiencing in their daily lives. And that's a challenge that we have to rise to. And I think we're up for it."

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http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/ryan-gop-has-to-expand-our-appeal

[factsarenotfair]

1. Then why is there an army of lobbyists in D.C.?

Are they there to beg Congress to take benefits away from their clients???

[SnowCritter]

9. Dang! Ya' beat me to it!

[factsarenotfair]

13. It's maddening that the media lets them get away without pointing this out, isn't it?

It's SO obvious.

[alp227]

34. This toon from '96 got 250+ recs on DU a couple weekends ago...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022188822

[bulloney]

2. Says the hypocrite whose family benefited from Social Security death benefits, among other things.

Gawd, these self-righteous conservatives who thump their chests on how we don't need no stinkin' gubmint are the ones who have their faces in the government trough the most.

[DollarBillHines]

4. The 'self-made' man who married a trust fund.

[Cosmocat]

7. Who literally has never had a job in his adult life

that is not funded by tax payer dollars ...

[Freddie]

28. Driving the Weinermobile dosen't count? :)

[libdem4life]

30. Another Republican Male Feminist..."Pulling himself up by his wife's bra straps."

Not that it's wrong or anything. Doesn't much matter which conveniently financed fund it comes from either ... Mom, Dad or in-law. McCain knows a think or two about that, as well. But don't run around saying "I built that" and lecturing the Huddled Masses!!" Kind of like Mitt's education options...just borrow from your parents. But either way, they got theirs the real old-fashioned way ... marriage or inheritance.

[johnfunk]

3. Then why isn't Ryan the first to decry oil and agriculture subsidies?

Could it be because he's a... HYPOCRITE?

Just askin'...

[earthside]

8. And the Military ...

... the biggest jobs program in U.S. history: the military.
The biggest mechanism for transferring wealth from average Americans to the richest elites: the military.

And for Ryan and his ilk -- military spending cuts are off the table.

That sounds exactly like a dependency culture for military personnel and war contractors.

[Odin2005]

5. What a hypocrite.

[chuckstevens]

6. Hey A-hole:

Social Security and Medicare are NOT an entitlement program; it a DESERVEMENT programs. WE pay for them as part of our 28-33 % taxes, unlike the Mitt Romney, who may have paid 0 %! By the way didn't you get social security when your father died? Why that's socialism! Why didn't go just work at McDonald's and put yourself through school? You sponged off my tax dollars instead of taking personal responsibility, just like Rush Limbaugh did when he collected unemployment for over a year as a young man!

If you had a life altering moment after reading the juvenile fiction writings of Aryn Rand, then let see you put it into practice. Common you hypocritical fraud, give up your own Congressional retirement and health care. Come on; I DARE YOU!

[hollysmom]

10. who is he to decide who does not need food stamps

does he have any statistics on it?
I know people who should be on food stamps but can't because of some exceptions on who should be covered in the laws. So they struggle along.

[fascisthunter]

11. you mean the wealthy don't depend more on our government than the poor and needy?

Lying piece of shit.... the wealthy own our government, so take your"dependency" and stick it up your ass!

[whathehell]

12. The US has the SMALLEST social safety net in the industrialized western world.

So Ryan can go ef himself....Anything less "dependent" would

resemble Dickensian England.

[Andy823]

14. So Ryan says

"We have to expand our appeal to more people and show how we will take the country's founding principles and apply them to the problems of the day to offer solutions to fix our problems," Ryan said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

REALLY? So where did the founder of this country say "to hell with the poor, we only help the rich?" Or where did they say "corporations are people and should be allowed to control congress and tell them what needs to be done?

Republicans have been "fixing" things alright, and all we need to do is go back to the Bush years to see just how "great" a job that was! Maybe their brain dead base will buy into that BS, but facts show that republicans in control cause the problems, they don't fix the problems!

[WinkyDink]

27. If that sentence isn't the emptiest verbose BLATHER...! "Solutions to fix..."? NS, S.

[samsingh]

15. look in the mirror asswipe

[BumRushDaShow]

16. Time to pull this clown back off the stage again.

How many times are they going to keep promoting him and his tired, deceptive and hypocritical bullshit?

[judesedit]

17. He's so full of crap. Congress gets the entitlements we pay for . We get screwed. They're parasites

on this government and our country. They get all of the perks by companies/people begging for their money. Ryan's all of the undesirable adjectives.

[bemildred]

18. Our political classes wallow in the "dependency culture". What a dishonest fool. nt

[nobodyspecial]

19. "people using food stamps who don't need them. "

What does this even mean? Either you are qualified so you get them -- and you really have to be so damn poor to qualify -- or you are committing fraud.

Not that I enjoy people suffering, but it was a real eye-opener when the recession first hit for the clueless middle class people who thought they could jump on the "gravy train" they had been hearing about for so long. What do you mean that we can't have a nice car? We have to cash in our stocks first? We have to sell our vacation home?

[libdem4life]

24. And he would know this exactly how? Seriously, how many of these people does he personally

know, or just pulling it out of his rear end? Bets are on the latter.

[WinkyDink]

26. Other: He is deliberately trying to start "Welfare Queen, Part Two: Vodka?! She Doesn't Even NEED

Food Stamps!"

[starroute]

20. That "dependency" line is getting awfully old

I happened to take a look at the 1936 Republican platform earlier today in reference to another thread. I found it complaining that the New Deal "has destroyed the morale of our people and made them dependent upon government."

Some things never change.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29639

[jbone45]

21. I motion that we...

Take a survey of Red State welfare and then eliminate it all... Let them eat their own cake!

[DallasNE]

22. Ryan Should Listen To Himself

He is echoing Newt Gingrich here with his message that Obama is the food stamp President and if we just end food stamps we can balance the budget. Several problems. First, there are no "food stamps" any more. There is a food assistance program that is like a debit card that can be used for most grocery store food but the amount of assistance falls short of being enough to buy all of your food plus you have to show proof of actively looking for a job or doing volunteer work or the amount of actual wages if you are working. Ramen noodles are popular items under such circumstances. Food pantries are left to make up the difference. But this is not an effective answer to the charge that Ryan views Americans as a nation of "takers" when he singles out the takers (people on food stamps).

Plus it is downright laughable to listen to Ryan talk about "our better ideas ... at fighting poverty ... solving health care", etc., when they stand in the way of stimulus programs to get Americans back to work and out of poverty or that the way they solve health care is to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The American people see through the Republican talking points and to the reality that Americans face and when the message is constant lies they reject it. It is more like what Gov. Jindal said, Republicans have to stop being the party of stupid but it is clear that Paul Ryan wasn't listening as nothing has changed in his message. Nothing.

[John2]

29. Lets get to the bottom line,

and I don't mince words. I believe that he is mostly talking about minorities. What is the average wage now? Isn't it just above seven dollars an hour? That is about 280 or 300 dollars a week before taxes. That is about 1200 dollars a month before taxes. That person will probably lose about 300 dollars in taxes a month and have around roughly 8 or 900 left. Then there is the phone bill, transportation costs, and rent which is around 7 to 800 dollars maybe.

You also got Ryan's supporters complaining about paying their workers decent wages to keep up with inflation. The Republicans have always been against decent wages because it would cost their constituents too much money. They also don't like affirmative action because they want to pick and choose whom to pay their low wages to. So Government is an impediment to somebody like Ryan. After all Government sets too many rules to protect those people. Government is in the way of profits. That is what Ryan and his ilk really means. But history shows that you can't push people too far. I think the Republican party has pushed people too far. There can be a Tea Party in the reversal. I really don't think Ryan or even people like Mitt Romney created anything on their own. This country can giveth and it can take away opportunities or anything they believe that they own and replace them with new owners.

If you don't believe it see Israel and the Palestinians or the European immigrants and American Indians. The U.S. Government provided everything the children of white Europeans enjoy today. They needed the U.S. Calvary and Infantry. The U.S. Government allowed settlers th homestead on open land that use to belong to Indians if they moved out West. If you ever heard of the Buffalo Soldiers they were part of the protection for these settlers also. I don't even know if Ryan or any Republican learned American History and how it was built I think the children of African Americans should be laughing at Ryan and white supremacists myself when they accuse them of being takers. Were the 54th Massachusetts or Tuskegee Airmen represented at Republican's inaugurations. I'm sorry but I don't see people like Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan or most of these Republicans built anything on their own other than profiting from their Descendants favored status in this country. And the U.S. Government provided some of that favored status with unjust laws at the local and Federal levels. I don't see the big deal about my father built this and that years ago. Even the Koch brothers benefited off their Dad's dealings. That is just reality.

[DallasNE]

40. Of Course Ryan Is Talking About Minorities As Takers

When he singles out the racially charged "food stamps" that technically no longer exist as an example of takers. (Saying EBT just doesn't carry the same racial charge as food stamps and that is why Ryan and Gingrich still use the outdated term).

Republicans briefly recruited African-Americans and their first "prize" was J C Watt, a former football star quarterback at the University of Oklahoma that got elected to the House from Oklahoma. One problem, Watt was smart and ambitious so was rising rapidly up the House leadership ladder but when he was blocked and dropped out of Congress. His name was again briefly mentioned as RNC Chair following the election disaster of 2012 but my guess is that after talking to Michael Steele, their other prize recruit, Watt again learned the lesson of exclusion in the Republican Party. In their place Republicans have Alan Keys and Alan West as the face of black Republicans. Well, that hasn't worked out very well. And it was predictable. Tokenism never works out the way you want it. But I digress.

I do think you have hit the nail on the head when you talk about Republican overreach and pushing people to far. Backlash is a bitch.

[tartan2]

23. Ryan you utterly make me sick

you are nothing but a shallow hypocrite. The last thing you want is to help people who are in need. You have nothing but disdain for women and you have this damn stupid idea that personhood begins at conception! Just shut up, go home and stay there.

[WinkyDink]

25. Too many people think food is a RIGHT. There are plenty of planets where that is just not TRUE.

[Brigid]

31. Shut up, Ryan.

The American Dream has been reduced to a minimum-wage job and health care at the ER--maybe. I would love to see you try to live the way so many Americans do . You couldn't.

[DallasNE]

41. The Problem With People Like Ryan

Is that they think that they are living like ordinary Americans and that the construction giant his grandfather started has nothing to do with his status of privilege.

[The Second Stone]

32. Ryan has sucked at the government teat

his whole life. Never worked a real productive job.

[indepat]

33. Ryan, you effin' f'er, our country's founding principles did not include welfare for

large corporations nor the most affluent as has run rampant/hog-wild almost unabated since the gipper foisted his voodoo economics upon the land.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

35. Ryan wouldn't pee on you if you were on fire

He is so greedy and uncaring.

[Skittles]

36. fuck you Ryan, you smarmy little BASTARD

FUCK.YOU.!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stewland]

37. This same mindset seeks to disempower the masses

This group seeks to undo things that create a middle class and create only the very wealthy elite and the very poor. These republicans do not represent 99% of us. It's well past time to take their power and influence away.

[Ken Burch]

38. Uh, Paul, if you actually spoke for "Americans" on that...

...wouldn't you be vice president now?

[cstanleytech]

39. Hard for most of them to achieve that dream Paul when

you have employers only willing to pay minimum wage and hire part time when they could afford to pay more and hire full time.