Paul Ryan Budgets Himself Millions!

 H/T Badger Democracy! Go here and read the whole story, but here is a highlight!

Statements of Economic Interest (SEI) recently released by Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Janesville), when compared to previous years’ SEI show a clear pattern – the more influence he has on the Congressional Budget process, the more stake he (through his wife Janna (nee Little)) has gained in Oklahoma mining interests. This family interest is led by Ryan’s father-in-law, Dan Little; and is currently making millions leasing rights to energy giants engaging in extensive natural gas shale fracking.

The financial conflicts at work here are direct. Ryan’s budget gives $43 Billion in tax breaks to the companies and processes the Little family (and Ryan) profit from. The policy conflict is the expansion of fracking, which the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is promoting through powerful Legislators like Ryan.

You might ask yourself how could someone who is making a very decent wage of $174/k yr, turn that into becoming a millionaire in a matter of ten years!  The answer is simple, control the budget of the United States!

 Ryan is getting away with clear financial conflicts of interest. The worse crime is complete rejection of potential social, safety and environmental impact to pursue profit at any cost. Ryan is using his powerful position to forward a fiscal and regulatory agenda from which he personally has, and will continue to reap enormous profit. In 1998, none of this interest was reported by Ryan – now, the value is nearly $1 Million and growing…thanks to Ryan’s inside operations.

Give Scott @ BD credit for reaching out and getting a response from Ryan's office(I have tried on numerous occassions and have never received even a response).   By the way, Ryan's response when asked about this:

He would rather not talk about it:

"Our office doesn’t comment on the financial disclosures any further than what is available publicly. Appreciate your reaching out."
Smythe Anderson

 Maybe a REPORTER who has access to Ryan on a regular basis could get this explained and maybe while they were at it, they could get an explanation on WHY this is even legal! 

One last thing to remember, Ryan (from economically devastated Janesville, WI) is the one who wanted to end unemployment benefits!

Yes what a stand-up Catholic paul ryan is!  

Cross Posted @ The Paul Ryan Watch, where there is everything you wanted to know about Paul Ryan and the Janesville Gazette was scared to tell you!   

Scott Walker jobbed Us

Shortly before the election, when Scott Walker used the fine folks(and public employees)at the Department of Workforce Development to game the system to pretend that he had actually created jobs in his year and a half as Governor. Here at CogDis, we told you he was not being honest, that the JOBS WERE NOT THERE! Thanks to our friends at Badger Democracy, who did an ORR (which surprisingly was delayed until after the election) we find out that Scott Walker was indeed lying.

Professor Laura Dresser (C.O.W.S.) puts things into perspective. Based on accepting Scott Walker’s anemic job growth of 19,000+ jobs; we are still over 200,000 jobs behind getting back to 2007 levels of employment. In addition, recently released wage data indicates that real wages in Wisconsin declined 5% from 2010-2011. The nationwide average was a 1.1% increase for the same period. Wisconsin growth under Scott Walker has been virtually non-existent. Dresser points out that either the small number of jobs created are low wage jobs, or employers are inflating the numbers of jobs reported in the census. Declining wages and stagnant job growth. Jobs numbers released early and unverified for political propaganda. Documentation of the numbers released only after the election, showing disputed information from what is reported internally and to the US Government.

 Our friends at political heat also broke down the numbers: 

A significant gain in jobs from the first six months, then a decline, a recovery, and then another decline in the following six months.

Overall, the first six months of 2011 -- again, when Doyle's budget was in play, not Walker's -- were a net gain. The last six months (Walker's budget) produced a net loss, halving the gains created in the first part of the year.

But, lo and behold, just weeks before the election was to take place, Walker released these numbers without the month-to-month breakdown. And the Department of Workforce Development refused to release them until after the recall. All we heard, then, was that more than 20,000 jobs were created in 2011. No context. No nothing.

Walker spun the numbers to make it sound as if he had been responsible for the job gains. In fact, he was responsible -- for cutting them in half.

We were duped. The job creation came under an entirely different budget. And after Walker passed his own budget, nearly 25,000 jobs were lost.

Walker out right lied yet again to get elected.   Could it be that is why he had to raise outrageous sums of money, because he knew he could never run on his actual record?  Does he care that 1,177,135 citizens of Wisconsin felt he should be fired after just 16 months on the job?  How many of those who voted for him, did so thinking he had actually created jobs during his short tenure?   

I hope during the upcoming brat fest, that the democrats ask him about why he would knowingly mislead the citizens of Wisconsin in such an important issue?