Subject: Paul Ryan's Faux Populism
Another clear example of government serving the people. Once we understand that we are not the people this government represents, we can begin to plan how we will establish our own government.
Carl Jarvis
Subject: Paul Ryan's Faux Populism
Reich writes: "On Friday, Paul Ryan, the presumptive Republican
vice-presidential nominee, made the most populist speech of this campaign
season."
Portrait, Robert Reich, 08/16/09. (photo: Perian Flaherty)
Paul Ryan's Faux Populism
By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog
19 August 12
On Friday, Paul Ryan, the presumptive Republican vice-presidential nominee,
made the most populist speech of this campaign season.
"It's the people who are politically connected, it's the people who have
access to Washington that get the breaks," he told an enthusiastic crowd of
over 2,000 at a high school gym in Virginia.
"Well, no more. We don't want to pick winners and losers in Washington... .
Hardworking taxpayers should be treated fairly and it should be based on
whether they're good, whether they work hard and not who they know in
Washington. That's entrepreneurialism. That's free enterprise."
Sounds good, but earlier this week - three days after being picked as
Romney's running-mate - Ryan went to Las Vegas to pay homage to Sheldon
Adelson, the casino billionaire who is the poster boy for using money to
become "politically connected" in Washington, and getting the "breaks" that
come with it. Adelson has promised to donate up to $100 million to make sure
Romney and Ryan are in the White House next year.
Much of Adelson's fortune comes from his casino in Macau, in China, via his
money-greased access to Washington.
When China's pitch for the 2008 Olympics was endangered by a House
resolution opposing the bid because of China's "abominable human rights
record," Adelson phoned Tom DeLay, then House majority whip and recipient of
Adelson's political generosity - urging him to block the resolution, which
DeLay promptly did. The next day, according to the New York Times, a Chinese
vice premier promised Mr. Adelson an endless line of gamblers to the Macau
casino.
The money Adelson has committed to putting Romney and Ryan into the White
House is a business investment. Adelson has a lot riding on the 2012
election.
Last year, his Las Vegas Sands Corporation came under investigation by the
Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible
violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act - bribing Chinese officials
to help expand its casino in Macau.
The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, meanwhile, is investigating
whether the Sands Corporation violated federal money-laundering laws by
accepting more than $100 million from high-rolling gamblers accused of drug
trafficking and embezzlement, rather than reporting the suspicious funds to
the government.
Ryan has also been a major recipient of contributions from billionaire
energy moguls Charles and David Koch. Koch Industries PAC has donated more
than $100,000 to Ryan's campaigns and his leadership PAC - more than any
other corporate PAC, according to a NY Times analysis of campaign records.
You see, Koch industries spans a variety of oil and gas investments - whose
value would be compromised if Congress and the White House got serious about
climate change.
Small wonder Paul Ryan has emerged as one of Congress's most outspoken
skeptics of climate change. He has also repeatedly voted against energy
efficiency standards, including a House vote to prohibit the EPA from
regulating greenhouse gases.
Several months ago, when I debated Paul Ryan on ABC-TV's This Week, he said
we need to shrink the size of government because big corporations and
wealthy individuals otherwise use government to their advantage.
"If the power and money are going to be here in Washington, that's where the
influence is going to go ... that's where the powerful are going to go to
influence it," he said.
It's an odd argument coming from Ryan because his proposed budget doesn't
shrink government by cutting benefits and payments to big business and the
rich. He increases military payments to defense contractors, for example,
slashes Wall Street regulations, and gives giant tax benefits to the rich.
His budget shrinks government mainly by cutting benefits and payments to the
poor and lower-income Americans. Over 60 percent of his spending cuts target
programs for Americans in the bottom third of the income ladder.
Ryan is correct when he says "it's the people who are politically connected,
it's the people who have access to Washington that get the breaks."
But his faux populism obscures the main point. A much smaller government
still dominated by money would continue to do the bidding of billionaires
like casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, energy moguls like the Koch bothers,
military contractors, and other high rollers now actively trying to put Ryan
and Romney into the White House.
It just wouldn't do anything for the rest of us.
________________________________________
Robert B. Reich, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University
of California at Berkeley, was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton
administration. Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective
cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written thirteen books,
including the best sellers "Aftershock" and "The Work of Nations." His
latest is an e-book, "Beyond Outrage." He is also a founding editor of the
American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.
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Portrait, Robert Reich, 08/16/09. (photo: Perian Flaherty)
http://robertreich.org/post/29638134341http://robertreich.org/post/296381343
41
Paul Ryan's Faux Populism
By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog
19 August 12
n Friday, Paul Ryan, the presumptive Republican vice-presidential nominee,
made the most populist speech of this campaign season.
"It's the people who are politically connected, it's the people who have
access to Washington that get the breaks," he told an enthusiastic crowd of
over 2,000 at a high school gym in Virginia.
"Well, no more. We don't want to pick winners and losers in Washington... .
Hardworking taxpayers should be treated fairly and it should be based on
whether they're good, whether they work hard and not who they know in
Washington. That's entrepreneurialism. That's free enterprise."
Sounds good, but earlier this week - three days after being picked as
Romney's running-mate - Ryan went to Las Vegas to pay homage to Sheldon
Adelson, the casino billionaire who is the poster boy for using money to
become "politically connected" in Washington, and getting the "breaks" that
come with it. Adelson has promised to donate up to $100 million to make sure
Romney and Ryan are in the White House next year.
Much of Adelson's fortune comes from his casino in Macau, in China, via his
money-greased access to Washington.
When China's pitch for the 2008 Olympics was endangered by a House
resolution opposing the bid because of China's "abominable human rights
record," Adelson phoned Tom DeLay, then House majority whip and recipient of
Adelson's political generosity - urging him to block the resolution, which
DeLay promptly did. The next day, according to the New York Times, a Chinese
vice premier promised Mr. Adelson an endless line of gamblers to the Macau
casino.
The money Adelson has committed to putting Romney and Ryan into the White
House is a business investment. Adelson has a lot riding on the 2012
election.
Last year, his Las Vegas Sands Corporation came under investigation by the
Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible
violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act - bribing Chinese officials
to help expand its casino in Macau.
The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, meanwhile, is investigating
whether the Sands Corporation violated federal money-laundering laws by
accepting more than $100 million from high-rolling gamblers accused of drug
trafficking and embezzlement, rather than reporting the suspicious funds to
the government.
Ryan has also been a major recipient of contributions from billionaire
energy moguls Charles and David Koch. Koch Industries PAC has donated more
than $100,000 to Ryan's campaigns and his leadership PAC - more than any
other corporate PAC, according to a NY Times analysis of campaign records.
You see, Koch industries spans a variety of oil and gas investments - whose
value would be compromised if Congress and the White House got serious about
climate change.
Small wonder Paul Ryan has emerged as one of Congress's most outspoken
skeptics of climate change. He has also repeatedly voted against energy
efficiency standards, including a House vote to prohibit the EPA from
regulating greenhouse gases.
Several months ago, when I debated Paul Ryan on ABC-TV's This Week, he said
we need to shrink the size of government because big corporations and
wealthy individuals otherwise use government to their advantage.
"If the power and money are going to be here in Washington, that's where the
influence is going to go ... that's where the powerful are going to go to
influence it," he said.
It's an odd argument coming from Ryan because his proposed budget doesn't
shrink government by cutting benefits and payments to big business and the
rich. He increases military payments to defense contractors, for example,
slashes Wall Street regulations, and gives giant tax benefits to the rich.
His budget shrinks government mainly by cutting benefits and payments to the
poor and lower-income Americans. Over 60 percent of his spending cuts target
programs for Americans in the bottom third of the income ladder.
Ryan is correct when he says "it's the people who are politically connected,
it's the people who have access to Washington that get the breaks."
But his faux populism obscures the main point. A much smaller government
still dominated by money would continue to do the bidding of billionaires
like casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, energy moguls like the Koch bothers,
military contractors, and other high rollers now actively trying to put Ryan
and Romney into the White House.
It just wouldn't do anything for the rest of us.
Robert B. Reich, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University
of California at Berkeley, was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton
administration. Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective
cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written thirteen books,
including the best sellers "Aftershock" and "The Work of Nations." His
latest is an e-book, "Beyond Outrage." He is also a founding editor of the
American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.
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