Ryan's Visit to Muskego A Quiet One

The scene was unexpected in front of, with barricades along Janesville set up for expected protests that never occurred in response to a Paul Ryan listening session on Thursday.

Inside, a crowd of a little over 150 were gathered to hear from the First District Congressman, as well as to ask questions.  While the group was in large part made up of supporters, police had indicated at least 10 professional protestors were also in attendance, although no disruptions occurred.

Ryan's presentation covered much of the same issues regarding his take on the president's stimulus plan, concern over spending and tax reform.  Questions from the floor also asked the congressman about our relationship with Pakistan and the current troop levels in Afghanistan, and what could be done about cuts to student grant programs.

To the latter, Ryan explained that funding grants for students has resulted in increases to tuition by universities, thereby "putting money into the left pocket of students, while taking more out of the right pocket," thus funding inflation.

Corporate/Wealthy American tax rate hikes

"This does not just hit a wealthy person sitting on a yacht; it affects our small businesses in Wisconsin," he explained.

Ryan also had compared a proposed 44.8 percent effective tax rate with those proposed in Europe (22 percent) and China (25 percent), saying that it would drive businesses out of the country.

He endorsed a plan to close all the loopholes in the tax code to net more dollars than raising taxes, stating that the vast majority of people who would be affected by his plan would be in the wealthiest one percent.

Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid

"I believe wee need to have a safety net to people help themselves, but our current net is fraying at the edges," he said.  "However, I don't want to have a system that enables complacency and dependency on the government."

The Debt 'Super Committee'

"I asked not to be a part of this committee, mainly because I was against in the first place," Ryan said of the 12-member panel charged with finding an additional $1.5 trillion in debt savings over a ten-year period. "I feel it circumvents the spirit of the Constitution, having a group of 12 people doing what the American people have elected 535 people to do."