Posted on 12/25/2013 11:10:42 AM PST by SkyPilot
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) wants to look tough on budget issues. In an editorial published in USA Today explaining his decision to lead the passage of a budget that reduced vested veteran pensions by an average of $84,000 to $120,000, Mr. Ryan founded his message on the urgent need to “do the right thing.”
In doing so, he created a painful irony; Ryan’s budget seeks to save $6B over the next 10 years – equivalent to less than six-tenths of one percent of projected federal spending over that period — by extracting it from compensation already guaranteed to people who earned it risking their lives and defending their country. In other words, despite his assurances to the contrary, he wants to do exactly the wrong thing.
The military and veteran population stand in awe at Ryan’s explanation. He apparently believes we are not only naive enough not to overlook the gaping moral maw between his words and actions, but also dumb enough not to see this for what it is: just the beginning.
If he can decouple vested veteran pensions from inflation while we still have people dying in combat, there will be nothing to stop him from continually enlarging the legitimacy of promise-breaking until veterans wake up one day and realize the pension package they’re getting bears no resemblance to what they and their families earned.
Ryan presents a classic false dilemma. ....
... Ryan admits he seeks to take $100,000 dollars out of the retirement accounts of veterans who earned that money by risking their lives in combat.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
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Mr. Ryan clearly hoped it wouldn’t be noticed. He now laments being caught red-handed by veterans and their representatives, who now rightly wonder whether Congress has already forgotten what it promised in exchange for a dozen years (and counting) of voluntary misery. The unease now sensed from among the veteran population should be taken as a dire warning: haphazardly breached promises that send the wrong kinds of signals to current and past service members will fundamentally disrupt the eagerness of Americans to serve in the future. Abraham Lincoln said this during the Civil War and it holds true still, especially given the dozen years of abusive management practices that have already ground down our all-volunteer force.
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This is morally repugnant, but clearly Ryan and his colleagues are more compelled by economic convenience. He thinks veteran pensions are just another lavish government handout to be squeezed in the name of fiscal conservatism. Incredulous, veterans find themselves on the wrong side of socialist impulses undertaken by an avowed counter-socialist; Ryan seems to be saying working age retirees don’t need all that money, so it should be taken from them and given to some other budgetary recipient who needs it more. Ryan has made a career railing against this very thing, saving his lone exception for a most unfortunate notion.
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Read the entire editorial. It is devastating. Ryan, Cantor, and Boehner better figure out the made a near fatal error - or the GOP is not only going to lose House and Senate seats, it will have lost any pretense of moral standing.
Once the military is composed of unionized LGBTQABCXYZ drones the feral government’s attitude toward the troops will magically change.
I ABSOLUTELY AGREE!One of the MANY things that separated us from The RATS was our devotion and GRATITUDE to our HEROES!!If we have lost that..........??????????????????????????
Ryan needs to get a job.
Another editorial slamming Paul Ryan
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
Politicians give a lot of lip service about veterans but they really don’t care about them. If they did, they’d stay the hell out of the war business and stop getting so many of them killed with there dumbass “rules of engagement”. U.S. politicians are responsible for the deaths of many of our military men and women. Politicians, lawyers and judges need to do whatever the hell it is that they do and let the military fight our wars.
Jet - this editorial is an open letter from the editorial board of Business Insider to Paul Ryan.
I think these gentlemen are finished with the subtle hints to Ryan. They slammed him over the head in this open letter/editorial. If you read the entire piece, it is clear they are telling him in no uncertain terms that he cannot count on their support any longer unless he fixes this - pronto.
Not sure Ryan is to be trusted.
Still: Working with a flat out communist-Socialist like Pat Murray is tough on a young impressionable man.
Ryan should know better than to mess with Veterans pensions.
I believe he just shot himself in the foot. He is done.
I took a cut in my benefits and I didn’t complain.
When our country is facing tough times - every one sacrifices, veterans included.
If veterans are singled out, that’s one thing. But Washington’s budget cuts effect all of us.
And instead of thinking about ourselves, we ought to think of our grandchildren and what kind of country we leave them.
The people most proud of self-reliance are now whining at a cut from Washington! Man up - the world doesn’t revolve around you.
And this “gimme” attitude even amongst so-called conservatives is why this country is in such deep trouble.
This may be the tactic the left is using to discredit up and coming conservatives.
Look at Rubio and now Ryan. Both were generally well liked and had significant support until they succumbed on significant issues.
Have never been the least bit impressed with Ryan or Cantor, and never understood why any Republican who wanted to win elections could have been during recent years.
I am sure. I dont trust him.
Veterans EARNED their benefits. Not one dime should be cut from them; in fact they should be getting increases, particularly all the homeless, disabled, and mentally ill vets who are getting screwed over by the government.
Have you voiced your hypocritical outrage on threads at folks who are getting EBT cards, unemployment benefits, illegals getting tax credits, foreign aid, and boondoggles to stupid "green" energy companies? No, you didn't.
So spare me this "fair share" and "everybody must sacrifice" crap.
Rep ryan is just another lying uniparty shill. Do the right thing? OK. Let’s “do the right thing”: let’s start by cutting tax subsidies to illegal aliens. Then let’s try cutting some corporate welfare. Then let’s try auditing the Fed.
Oh. Rep ryan doesn’t want to do any of THOSE right things? Ahhh. I get it. I guess only screwing over veterans is “right” enough for the likes of him.
“Not sure Ryan is to be trusted.”
I can help you with any lingering uncertainty. He is NOT to be trusted. He’s a lying, backstabbing, uniparty shill. You would do far better to trust teenage boys with your liquor cabinet and sportscar than trust this scheming POS on anything.
If he says the sky is blue, be sure to look out a window and check.
Ryan better get used to standing in place. He isn’t going anywhere.
Since Paul Ryan joined the McCain Graham backstabbers I have no regard for him.
Not only veterans, but the American people in general. Crooked politicians care only about themselves and to hell with the rest of you dummies.
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