Tag Archives: Paul Ryan

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TGIF &some News


just another rant …

The latest events or filibusters by Republicans in both Chambers of Congress have made me wonder  if or when will the Democratic Party push back or beat back the ideology that is taking over up on the Hill. I do think a line in the sand may have been drawn when our big 3 programs came under fire and while you can see vids of Republican leaders say they got 98% of what they wanted in the debt deal, it’s obvious they change Republicans want was worth pushing possibly over the cliff. To those people who hated the deal, remember they will have to defend it, which will be interesting, especially if forced to this debt deal give full disclosure. I have to say the Debt deal and the FAA debacle proved to be a moment when we saw the Democratic Party unite against the ideology of Republicans who want to take down the entire system, as we know it. The assault on the middleclass by the Republican members of Congress is obviously very offensive and will continue until we the people get out the vote and put Democrats back in control. So, when Congress gets back from their five-week break let’s hold Republicans accountable and demand that Democrats not only stand up more but do it as a united Political Party because it makes you want to jump in and say just exactly what they are thinking but too cautious to say.

 It’s time for the Democratic members of Congress the President and We the People to get on the same page and take back our Democracy.

The temporary Band-Aid that Congress has put on the debt, deficit as well as the things filibustered, or sitting on some table in a back room somewhere in the Senate will rear its ugly head again.  Republicans are planning to bring back the Paul Ryan Budget. It is and ideological plan that should open the eyes of most if not all Republican constituents, well maybe… hey, I definitely an optimist. We all were scared about Sarah Palin becoming one person closer to being President of the US of A and thank goodness, saner minds prevailed.  In a time when millions are unemployed, more layoffs coming and Corporate America is still outsourcing and holding middle class jobs hostage. The Republican Party continues to cut slash and burn American Workers in Republican controlled states. The party of No, which used to be just a conservative pro-life scary group, is now so extreme that the slogan “taking their country back”, is no longer code but an overt statement from Republican Tea Party members. Obviously, it is about not wanting “his kind” in the White House or as other as Sarah Palin and cohorts have spewed on various occasions.  I don’t know about you but the BS about President Obama being too “other” from anyone outside of Congress is offensive but when those who took an oath to serve and protect the lives of all Americans not a select few or those who you signed that Grover Norquist pledge admit to putting ideology and pledges before the People.

 

We are all Freedom Fighters on some level every day

 

CSPAN …

U.S. Economy

117,000 Total Jobs Created in July: Unemployment Down to 9.1%

154,000 private sector jobs created

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Congress Agrees to Short-Term FAA Authorization

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Defense Department Faces Budget Cuts

Panetta worried about debt ceiling agreement

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Bachmann bashes Whoopi back in new fundraising letter

Bachmann Stands By Marriage Pledge That Links Slavery to Black …
Romney, Bachmann, Santorum Vow to Defend Marriage

 

Reich ’68 critiques US debt deal

Senate Passes FAA Funding Measure to End Impasse, Furloughs

NATO airstrike kills Gadhafi’s son: rebels

Factors behind the market sell-off

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A Shocking Conflict of Interest? … Ben Kroetz, Greenpeace


I wanted to share with you this opportunity from our friends over at the League of Conservation Voters. They’re doing important work to call out the shocking conflict of interests between Congress and Big Oil. Please take a minute and add your name to their petition targeting Congressman Ryan (R-WI).

Sincerely,

Ben Kroetz
Greenpeace USA
————-

Tell Congressman Paul Ryan that championing special tax breaks for Big Oil while profiting from the oil industry is wrong.

Carmen —

League of Conservation VotersClick here to add your name to our petition to Congressman Paul Ryan.

When Republican Congressman Paul Ryan was asked at a town hall meeting in Waterford, Wisc., about the need to end subsidies to oil companies, he responded, “I agree.”1

But just one week later, Ryan voted to give Big Oil billions in taxpayer-funded handouts.2

Now comes the shocking revelation that Congressman Ryan and his family are making thousands of dollars from oil companies that lease their land – companies that stand to benefit from the same tax breaks Ryan is pushing.

Click here to add your name to our petition to Congressman Ryan. Tell him that championing special tax breaks for Big Oil while profiting from the oil industry is wrong.

Newsweek and the Daily Beast reported recently on what appears to be Ryan’s shocking conflict of interest:3

The financial disclosure report Ryan filed with Congress last month and made public this week shows he and his wife, Janna, own stakes in four family companies that lease land in Texas and Oklahoma to the very energy companies that benefit from the tax subsidies in Ryan’s budget plan.

Ryan’s father-in-law, Daniel Little, who runs the companies, told Newsweek and The Daily Beast that the family companies are currently leasing the land for mining and drilling to energy giants such as Chesapeake Energy, Devon, and XTO Energy, a recently acquired subsidiary of ExxonMobil.

Some of these firms would be eligible for portions of the $45 billion in energy tax breaks and subsidies over 10 years protected in the Wisconsin lawmaker’s proposed budget.

Not only has Ryan voted to give Big Oil companies like ExxonMobil billions in government handouts, but – as the article notes – he has proposed a 2012 budget that also gives Big Oil billions in special tax breaks.4 And as the point person on the budget for the Republican House leadership, Ryan has significant sway and influence on the congressional budget process.

At a time when middle-class families are feeling the pinch of an economy still on the rebound and state governments are facing massive budget shortfalls, Ryan is asking American taxpayers to continue providing massive government handouts for some of the world’s most profitable companies – all while his family stands to benefit from some of those same companies’ profits.

Click here to sign our petition to Congressman Ryan. Tell him it is shameful to champion billions in oil industry tax breaks while personally profiting from the oil industry’s good fortune.

Thank you for taking action.

Sincerely,
Navin Nayak
Navin Nayak
Senior Vice President, Campaigns
League of Conservation Voters

1 http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/04/28/162071/paul-ryan-oil-subsidies/
2 http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll293.xml
3 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/06/17/paul-ryan-s-shrewd-budget-payday-congressman-could-benefit-from-tax-breaks-he-proposes.html
4 http://www.lcv.org/newsroom/press-releases/LCV-Statement-on-Big-Oil-Budget-Proposed-by-Chairman-Paul-Ryan.html

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Paul Ryan gets our message ! boldprogressives.org


We made Rep. Paul Ryan feel big pressure this week in Wisconsin.

Along with his challenger, Rob Zerban, we delivered 65,000 signatures to Ryan’s local office — opposing his plan to end Medicare.

Local and national media covered our activism! The local newspaper headline blared, “Zerban presents petition on Medicare to Ryan’s office.”

Many candidates and political committees promise to do stuff in the future. We’re committed to doing effective work now.

We work with leaders in Congress and on the campaign trail who are committed to being bold progressives and partnering with the grassroots to move the ball forward on issues we care about.

That’s why we partnered with Sen. Al Franken to re-ignite public pressure for Elizabeth Warren — and partnered with other bold leaders on the public option and Wall Street reform.

Now, we’re showing how candidates can use their campaigns to pressure Republicans back home on Medicare — in a way that impacts the current debate.

Watch video from this week’s event. Then, add your name to Rob’s letter so he can keep doing events holding Paul Ryan accountable.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.

— Adam Green, Stephanie Taylor, Jeremy Feigenbaum, Neil Sroka, and the PCCC team

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Protect Medicare … AFSCME e-Action Network


It’s truly scary.

The federal budget that was introduced by
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and passed in the House of Representatives last month
is being voted on in the Senate this week. And in all my years of working
in Washington, DC, I can honestly say that I’ve rarely seen anything this
alarming.

That’s why I need you to take just a minute and send a message
to your senators right now.

Protect MedicareYou’ve probably already heard about the Ryan budget
because of its radical proposal to eliminate Medicare as we know it. But
it’s worse than that. It’s clear that what he’s calling the “Pathway to
Prosperity” should really be named the “Pathway to Poverty,” given what it means
for most Americans. The Ryan pathway is a wrong turn for America. It only brings
more prosperity to insurance companies, Wall Street fat cats, and the wealthiest
companies and individuals in America while dumping the rest of us in a dead end.
It’s outrageous.

And it must be stopped in the
Senate: Please take action against this radical bill right
now.

  • Ryan’s budget includes deep
    cuts to federal programs that fund state and local governments at a time when
    many states are already in crisis, and more and more people need their services.
    It’s nothing short of
    another outright attack on public employees and the services we provide.
  • The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates
    that Medicare beneficiaries’ premiums and other out-of-pocket expenses would double when compared to
    Medicare as it is now – from $6,150 to $12,500.
  • Ryan claims this bill would
    reduce the deficit by $4.3 trillion. What he doesn’t say is that it’s almost
    entirely wiped out by the
    $4.2 trillion in tax cuts to benefit the wealthiest Americans. Indeed, it would reduce the
    tax rate for prosperous corporations and reduce the tax rate paid by the
    wealthiest to its lowest level since 1931.

This budget proposal is so radical
that even some Republicans, like Newt
Gingrich, are distancing themselves from it. And while home during
recess, many of the House Republicans who voted for it (all but 4 did) were
taken to task at town hall meetings by the same people who voted for them last
November.

It’s clear
that the voices of working Americans are being heard and making a difference in
this fight. So please, speak out against this extreme proposal today by sending
a message to your senators. Let them know that you won’t stand by while Medicare, Medicaid,
and even Social Security are dismantled to pay for tax breaks for the rich and
subsidies to oil companies.

In solidarity,

Chuck Loveless
Legislative
Director
AFSCME

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Pop Quiz: What would America look like under Rep. Ryan’s radical budget? AFL-CIO


Pop Quiz:
What would America look like under Rep. Ryan’s (R-Wis.) radical, Tea Party-inspired
budget?

A. A typical 65-year-old would spend $6,359 more
per year out of pocket for health care by 2022 because Medicare’s promise would
be replaced with underfunded vouchers.

B. At least 15 million people
would lose Medicaid health care.

C. $4.2 trillion in new
tax cuts would be handed out mostly to corporations and the rich.

D. All
of the above.

If you
answered D, all of the above, you’re right. The House Republican budget would do
all of those things.

All but four House Republicans voted for
this radical proposal. The
Senate will consider it this week.

How many Senate Republicans
will vote to give even more tax cuts to Wall Street and the wealthy and pay for
them by cutting deeply into services for seniors, children and low- and
middle-income working families?

Let’s make sure every
U.S. senator knows this “right-wing social engineering” bill—which is what
former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich recently called Rep. Ryan’s
budget—is not used as a starting point for a debate over America’s
future.

Here’s how you can help stop this
radical, Tea Party-inspired budget:

Forward this message to five friends—ask them to oppose the Ryan budget and make
sure it gets voted down in the Senate.

In
Solidarity,

Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator,
AFL-CIO

P.S. Want to read more about the Ryan budget? Read and share the full post on the AFL-CIO Now
Blog.

Sources:
http://blog.aflcio.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/medicare_costs_by_state.pdf
http://blog.aflcio.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/medicaid_losses_by_state.pdf
http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/jobs/upload/house_budget2012.pdf