Rep. Paul Ryan, (R.-Wis.) is busy trying to pass several reforms to Social Security. When I asked Ryan if he thinks any have a shot of getting through, he said he doesn’t think it will happen this year. However, he’s not about to give up.
Ryan represents the 1st District of Wisconsin. He spoke to Capitol Hill interns Tuesday at an event sponsored by Young America’s Foundation.
Ryan’s main concern is the problem those 55 and under are going to face with Social Security. He says if things continue as they are, the government will double in size in less than 50 years. Currently, 20% of our GDP goes to government spending, and it will increase to 40% if nothing is done. This is essentially a socialistic society, he said.
He stressed “principles of individualism,” mainly allowing citizens to have choices in their retirement accounts. The current and future generations will not even see the Social Security money they have been paying to the government.
Ryan said he was not intending to scare; rather he wants today’s youth to understand this important matter, and how it will affect their future. He said the Bush administration has not handled budget problems well, and that Republicans need to “get it together” on spending. Several questions were asked about health care, and Ryan stressed that the main problem is that healthcare doesn’t function like a market, and therefore, there is no competition, driving prices sky-high.
In the end, Ryan said, 90% of arguments in Congress come down to individualism vs. collectiveness. The citizen versus big government.
