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12 August 2012 By Saeed Qureshi
As such Paul Ryan stands for
special interest lobbies and overarching corporate
sector in the United States. Therefore, no wonder if
he opposes officially sponsored welfare programs like
Medicare, Medicaid, social security and food stamps.
He wants to do away with these essential benefits and
replace or change these with his half-baked recipes
and utopian alternatives. For instance he wants Social
security to be privatized and thus thrown open to the
economic predators for grabbing their pound of flesh.
Already in American society, the
divide between highly privileged and affluent sections
and those of poor and financially is yawning. On one
hand the Republican leadership wants to keep the
wealthiest both individuals and conglomerations
unleashed from higher taxation. On the other they want
to inflict the unkindest cut on the marginalized and
indigent segments by snatching from them the federal
humanitarian support programs for their bare minimum
survival. With this mindset that is patently partisan
in favor of the privileged individuals and profit
driven corporate sector, would the Republican
candidates be still sanguine to carry the day and win
the November elections. Visibly such a perspective
appears to be a far cry and a frivolous hope.
Mitt Romney is kicking around
cajoling and flattering the robber barons of this
magnificent country and disregarding the woes of the
indigent and hard pressed sections of the American
society. This attitude brings home the bizarre reality
that how far-removed and unmindful he is from the real
issues. We want capitalism in this
country but not a naked, ruthless; fleecing kind that
pulls downs the huts but spares and safeguards the
palatial mansions. By taking away or curtailing such
basic relief and social benefits as social security,
healthcare and food stamps to buy grocery, we would be
creating a huge class of have-nots and plunging into
the pits of misery those who are already surviving on
these.
As the chairman of the
House Budget Committee, Paul Ryan
authored the document
"The Path to Prosperity: a Blueprint for American
Renewal in
March this year". In that document he has proposed
replacement of Medicare with a voucher program,
privatizing the social security and handing over food
stamps program to the states as block grants. These
measures would hit hard the veterans, the retired, the
middle class, seniors and lower-income Americans.
Thereafter, there would so many bottlenecks for the
economically hard pressed and poor Americans to buy
grocery and medicines, as well as pay their utility
bills. Whilst a worthwhile system is
already in place what could be the guarantee that the
new system envisaged by Congressman Paul Ryan would
excel the previous one. The private managers of this
program would not give away the social security to the
eligible and deserving people as easily as the
government is directly doing. It is time that the American
economic paradigm is restructured and it should be a
blend of both capitalism, free economy and state
sponsored social benefits and safety nets. One may
call it a stitch of socialism with the capitalism. The
cut and dried capitalist system with an underlying
concept of lasses-fair that the congressman Ryan wants
to introduce does not offer desirable relief to those
Americans who are left with no other option except to
get the federal or state assistance for living and
sustenance. Paul Ryan is aggressive, a
self-made hard worker who has climbed up the ladder of
power by dint of incessant struggle from a scratch.
In
his early years while working on Capitol
Hill,
Ryan buttressed his earning by working as a waiter, as
fitness trainer and doing similar menial jobs. He
should therefore, be in the best position to
understand and comprehend the sufferings of a common
man. He should devise and enunciate such economic
plans that help in quashing poverty, levying taxes on
the affluent and high income sections. Instead he is vouching and
propping an economic system that would deprive the
poor and needy Americans of the benefits they receive
to survive. His motivations are in sync with the
themes of the Tea party which is hard on poor and soft
on the opulent. As the media is already dishing
out opinion on his joining the Romney team, there is
less optimism being expressed about his future role in
streamlining the murky social economic milieu. His
approval rate in the public opinion is neither
promising nor robust as to nurse hope that he would
beef-up Romney chances for a victory. To be a fanatic in America is a
discredit because the people here judge a candidate by
his sobriety, the strength of his moral character and
the viability and efficacy of his agenda for uplift
and advancement of this country. Paul is not that
spectacular orator or an intellectual who would move
the crowds and motivate them. He may play to the far
right Christian galleries and corporate magnates but
his real worth would be gauged if he also speaks for
the downtrodden of this country and for the
economically oppressed classes. He is less logical and more
aggressive, less confident and rather incoherent when
speaking before a gathering. He is made that way. His
response to the questions is invariably disjointed, a
kind of knee jerk reaction that falls short of the
pitch. He is indeed very sincere and totally committed
to his conservative creed and ideals. But his plans
and projections must also impress and influence the
public opinion as well. In Madison where he was the
featured speaker a limited but defiant crowd jeered
Rep. Paul Ryan with such despising expletives "Shame
on you, Paul Ryan, you Are an embarrassment to the
State." If this is the bumpy and
inauspicious beginning of his political journey, more
severe and unruly situations may come in his way that
could adversely impinge upon his political future as
well. How would Romney view this initial setback and
rebuff that Ryan has been exposed to at his debut
public meeting? Is it a liability or an asset for
Romney who too lacks the charisma and passion to sway
the American public opinion in his favor in a big way? |
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