Paul Ryan as a vice-presidential candidate means austerity for the 99%, prosperity for the Pentagon and the 1%. And that gives us opportunities to raise “cut the Pentagon, fund our communities” in this year’s national debate — in campaign events, blog posts, tweets, letters to the editor, and discussions in our communities.
Ryan’s budget, which the House of Representatives passed this spring, throws more money at the Pentagon; slashes safety net programs that most Americans use; cuts Medicaid by one-third, throwing 14 to 27 million people out of the program; cuts 10 million people off food stamps; and gives millionaires and billionaires more tax breaks.
Here are the best articles and research studies we’ve seen. Please send others to cutmilitaryspending@gmail.com so we can add them to this file. Please also link this page to your website and forward it to your lists.
Ryan Pick Solidifies Competing Visions in Federal Budget Debate
Paul Ryan’s pre-nomination federal budget proposal includes sweeping changes that supporters say are necessary to shrink bloated government and balance the federal budget, but opponents believe would be draconian in their impact on the American people and the economy.
For example, over ten years Ryan would increase defense spending:
and decrease discretionary spending for veterans, the environment, and social safety net programs:
The Ryan budget is also notable because it doesn’t touch revenue. No real revenue gains, along with significant hikes in military spending, are two of the reasons the Ryan budget projects a $287 billion deficit in 2022. Revenues play an important role in managing deficits.
…. While Romney has yet to put forth detailed budget numbers, his policy positions tell us a great deal about his priorities for the federal budget — and our nation.
Read our full analysis of Romney/Ryan on the federal budget as compared to Obama.
Paul Ryan? Seriously?
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/12880-paul-ryan-seriously
By John Nichols, Common Dreams
August 11, 2012 — before Romney announced Ryan will be his running mate
“….Like Romney, Ryan is a son of privilege who has little real-world experience or understanding. He presents well on Sunday morning talk shows and in the rarified confines of Washington think tanks and dinners with his constituents – the Masters of the Universe on Wall Street – but his record in Congress and the policies he now promotes are political albatrosses….Ryan has been a steady voter for unwise bailouts of big banks, unfunded mandates and unnecessary wars. Few members of Congress have run up such very big tabs while doing so little to figure out how to pay the piper.”
The Ryan Choice
Robert Reich, Nation of Change, August 12, 2012, http://www.nationofchange.org/ryan-choice-1344777565
- Blog post: Unbalanced Deficit-Reduction Package Would Slash Funds to States and Localities
- August 8, 2012
- As we explain in a new analysis, a deficit-reduction plan that lacks significant revenues would almost certainly deeply cut federal funds that support states and localities as they educate children, build roads and bridges, protect public health, and provide law enforcement.
- Blog post: Low-Income Programs Would Bear the Brunt of Ryan Cuts
- March 23, 2012
- The Ryan budget would get at least 62 percent of its $5.3 trillion in nondefense budget cuts over ten years (relative to a continuation of current policies) from programs that serve people of limited means.
- Analysis: Chairman Ryan Gets 62 Percent of His Huge Budget Cuts from Programs for Lower-Income Americans
- Blog post: House Budget Committee Votes to Break Budget Deal
- May 8, 2012
- The House Budget Committee approved legislation yesterday that would alter last summer’s bipartisan budget deal and enable Congress to set defense funding above the agreed-upon cap, while cutting deeply into various non-defense programs, particularly those for lower-income families, as we explain in two reports.
- Analysis: House Budget Bills Would Target Programs for Lower-Income Families While Breaking Last Summer’s Bipartisan Deal Package Would Enable Defense Funds to Be Set Above Agreed-to Caps, While Non-Defense Discretionary Funds Are Cut Nearly As Much As Under Sequestration
- Analysis: A Closer Look at Chairman Ryan’s “Sequestration” Proposal
![[]](http://www.offthechartsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/3-22-12bud2-blog.jpg)
- Blog post: Thinking About Tax Policy, Part 4: Ryan Plan a Costly Step in the Wrong Direction
- April 13, 2012
- This series has explained why we need to raise more revenue and why it makes sense to start at the top of the income scale. The budget from House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan goes in exactly the opposite direction it would cut taxes deeply at the top and raise even less revenue than if we continued all of President Bush’s tax cuts, leading to bigger deficits and worse income inequality.
- Blog post: Ryan Budget Would Raise Some Taxes; Guess Who Gets Hit?
- April 12, 2012
- You’ve undoubtedly heard lots about how House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s budget plan would give millionaires an average $265,000 apiece in new tax cuts, on top of the $129,000 apiece they would get from Ryan’s call to extend President Bush’s tax cuts. Have you also heard, however, that he wants to raise taxes for some other Americans? Want to guess who would bear the brunt of his tax hikes?
Opposition research on Paul Ryan
http://www.scribd.com/doc/102084820/American-Bridge-Paul-Ryan-Research-Book
Ryan’s military spending record starts on page 114.
Paul Ryan, the national debt and the Latino vote
http://www.latinodecisions.com/blog/2012/08/11/paul-ryan-the-national-debt-and-the-latino-vote/
by Matt Barreto, Latino Decisions on 08/11/2012
An October 2011 poll shows Ryan’s positions way out of line with the majority of Latino voters’.