Who is Paul Ryan?

Who is 42 year-old Republican Congressman Paul Ryan from Wisconsin? Here’s some info.

Ryan co-sponsored a “personhood” amendment, an extreme anti-abortion measure. Ryan joined 62 other Republicans in co-sponsoring the Sanctity of Human Life Act, which declares that a fertilized egg “shall have all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood.” This would outlaw abortion, some forms of contraception and in vitro fertilization.

 Ryan  is considered the architect of the GOP budget. His economic views are especially interesting if you’re a senior, or know a senior, or plan on becoming one someday….

Ryan wants to end Medicare, and replace it with a voucher system. All future retirees would receive a government contribution to purchase insurance. But since the $ amount does not keep up with increasing health care costs, the Congressional Budget Offices estimates that new beneficiaries could pay up to $1,200 more by 2030 and more than $5,900 more by 2050.

A recent study also found that had the plan been implemented in 2009, 24 million beneficiaries enrolled in the program would have paid higher premiums to maintain their choice of plan and doctors.

Ryan would also raise Medicare’s age of eligibility to 67.

In September of 2011, Ryan agreed with Rick Perry’s characterization of Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme” and since 2005 has advocated for privatizing the retirement benefit and investing it in stocks and bonds. The economic crisis of 2008 should serve as a wake-up call for anyone who thinks hinging Americans’ retirement to the stock market is a good idea.

Ryan wants to eliminate Pell Grants for more than 1 million students. He wants to cut the Pell Grant program by $200 billion, which could “ultimately knock more than one million students off the program over the next 10 years.

Ryan supports $40 billion in subsides for big oil. In 2011, Ryan joined all House Republicans and 13 Democrats in his vote to keep Big Oil tax loopholes and oil tax breaks as part of the 2011 spending bill.

He did this while cutting billions of dollars from investments to develop alternative fuels and clean energy technologies that would serve as substitutes for oil. 

He does, however, have very nice hair.