Paul Ryan: A Failure To Act

 

Representative Paul Ryan (R ‐ WI) recently stated on a CNBC debate with fellow Representative Barney Frank (D ‐

MA) that the Republicans should have addressed the health care crisis in this country when they had the opportunity.

His exact words, “I will have a moment of bipartisan agreement. We should have fixed this under our watch and I’m

frustrated we didn’t.”

 

Representative Ryan isn't the only one frustrated. The 1st Congressional District of Wisconsin that Paul Ryan

represents is also frustrated that he and his fellow Republicans have long ignored this issue when they had the power

to fix it. They are frustrated that costs are rising faster than wages. They are frustrated at being denied coverage for

pre‐existing conditions. They are frustrated that the number one cause of foreclosures is medical expenses. They

are frustrated as they see their employers dropping coverage because they can no longer afford to offer it. They are

frustrated at seeing the millions of dollars spent by special interests every day to stop reform and solidify profits at

their expense. They are frustrated that this has been going on for years and years and now the Republicans have

moved from intentionally ignoring the issue to flat out obstructing any progress to solve it.

 

If you want to understand the real values of a party, then set aside their rhetoric and look at their priorities and

actions. For nearly a decade, Republicans had every opportunity to reform the health care system and they failed to

even make a serious attempt. Paul Ryan and his fellow Republicans have demonstrated they did not value the

working class, small businesses, the seriously ill and the struggles his constituents faced from the crippling costs of

health care. What did they value during that time? Instead of tackling the difficult issues like health care reform and

bringing real relief to working class citizens, Paul Ryan and the Republicans gave tax cuts primarily to the wealthiest

Americans that didn't even need it.

 

Paul Ryan's admission on the CNBC program reinforces the painful truth. The Republican Party places the free

market system philosophy ahead of the prosperity of the people, opting for deregulation instead of oversight and

obstructionism instead of cooperation. Real people with real problems in this health care crisis have been brushed

aside and marginalized by Republicans.

 

The citizens of the first congressional district of Wisconsin need a politician that is loyal to the people and responsible

business. They need a leader that will tackle the difficult issues and help bring them to resolution. Paul Ryan and the

Republican Party are not those leaders. They are angry observers on the sideline of progress, watching as Democrats

put the people first and do what Republicans refused to do for years – help the citizens of Wisconsin's 1st

Congressional District and the rest of the nation by reforming the health care system.

Democrats will do what Republicans never would. Democrat's will pass meaningful health care reform so that one

day they won't have to look back at this opportunity to reform the health care system and repeat Representative

Paul Ryan's embarrassing words to the country: “We should have fixed this under our watch and I’m frustrated we

didn’t.”

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Mark Pienkos of Lake Geneva is the Chairman of the 1st Congressional District of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

Press Release prepared by Kelly Gallagher