This just in from the Daily Beast ... did you know?

by Tau_Seti Posted 2011/06/17 12:58:34

Related Topics: Money, Budget, The Daily Beast, Subsidies

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Paul Ryan's Shrewd Budget Payday

The congressman stands to make money from his stakes in four businesses that lease land to energy companies that would benefit from $45 billion in tax breaks and subsidies in his proposed budget. The Daily Beast's Daniel Stone reports.

ConLibFraud 2011/06/18 03:11:29

+1
Please tell this to the GOP presidential candidates who back the Ryan plan! You know what sucks the most about Ryan's plan? It slowly punishes American citizens while it says nothing about ending the stupid wars and all the foreign aid! Both dems and repubs are the same!

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Myst 2011/06/17 22:55:33

+1
Now why would this "surprise" you or anyone else? No politician does anything it seems unless he or someone he knows is going to profit. The little people that put them in office shouldn't expect anything of value from our politicians until we put restraints on term limits, salary caps, and stop any and all campaign contributions from big business.

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Tau_Seti to Myst 2011/06/17 23:07:58 (edited)

Then you have no takers and no government. They are in it for the ego trip, the money , the influence, and the illusion of "power". These people are not altruists doing the "We come to Serve Selflessly" thingy.

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Striker 2011/06/17 18:01:01

+1
Not meaning to either support or pick on Ryan, but the article is strongly misleading leaving the impression that the $45 billion goes wholly to Ryan & family -- it would be but a small fraction of that chunk, and it appears that Ryan disclosed.

The point is that this sort of spending should not occur, not for anything. Redistribution of taxpayer dollars for subsidies is wrong, no different that any other "welfare", and serves only to waste money and manipulate economies. Whenever government is allowed to do such things, people get hurt.

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wicked soda boy 2011/06/17 16:59:08

Daily Beast is full of crap. Nearly all ranking members of BOTH PARTIES in DC own businesses or shares in businesses, and the use of the terms "tax breaks" and "subsidies" has been spun a great deal lately to make ordidary business deductions sound like a conspiracy of some kind. When reading the "Daily Beast", one needs to do additional homework in order not to be misled.

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John R 2011/06/17 15:30:06

+1
I didn't know. But then again, I'm not completely surprised, either. I would imagine if you looked into the investments that every member of Congress has, you'd find a whole host of things that would smack of "conflict of interest." Does Mr. Ryan vote as he does in-favor of energy companies because of his investments? Most likely not. However, I would seriously question his integrity if he would try to suggest that while voting in-favor of energy companies he didn't also understand that his stance would result in his investments' value increasing. Honestly, in this day and age, one can never go "too far" when considering all of the possible reasons and angles that politicians use to legitimize some of their more heinous breaches of integrity and ethics. What is most troubling about the various "errors in judgement" that so many politicians make is that they invariably do so while, at the same time, creating laws which are designed to thwart anyone else doing (usually) the very same thing. Or, my personal favorite, is when they are speaking in public and railing against some "terrible stain on our nation," only to find that they are guilty of doing the very same thing ... or even worse.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that politicians should be like judges, in that th...

I didn't know. But then again, I'm not completely surprised, either. I would imagine if you looked into the investments that every member of Congress has, you'd find a whole host of things that would smack of "conflict of interest." Does Mr. Ryan vote as he does in-favor of energy companies because of his investments? Most likely not. However, I would seriously question his integrity if he would try to suggest that while voting in-favor of energy companies he didn't also understand that his stance would result in his investments' value increasing. Honestly, in this day and age, one can never go "too far" when considering all of the possible reasons and angles that politicians use to legitimize some of their more heinous breaches of integrity and ethics. What is most troubling about the various "errors in judgement" that so many politicians make is that they invariably do so while, at the same time, creating laws which are designed to thwart anyone else doing (usually) the very same thing. Or, my personal favorite, is when they are speaking in public and railing against some "terrible stain on our nation," only to find that they are guilty of doing the very same thing ... or even worse.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that politicians should be like judges, in that they recuse themselves from voting when an issue before them involves something (or anything) in which they have personally (or through a trust of some kind) invested. It seems to be the most responsible and ethical thing one should do. Otherwise, we are left with "taking their word for it" that they are only voting in-favor or against something because of the good of the entire country. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not quite ready to swallow that line of rhetoric as anything beyond the "hyperbole as usual."
(more)

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WGN 2011/06/17 14:10:23

+1
he is a crook, and a gredy one at that. all the GOP guys like the rest of us to pay for their play toys. Throw him out along with the rest of the obstructionist GOP idiots. The conservative wAtch word is greed- as in "more for me". We also should do away with all tax breaks and subsidies to the energy companies.

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jimrthy... to WGN 2011/06/17 16:18:24

This isn't a GOP thing. It's a politician in general thing.

Anyone who believes the democrats are any better is obviously too stupid to be trusted with a vote.

*All* career politicians are crooks.

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Kimmel 2011/06/17 13:51:19

+2
If the land is already leased and the tax breaks that exist are just being extended, I don't see where Ryan is making more money. I guess if the lease fees were being increased or extended because of this, you could make a case, but I don't see that information.

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unreligious 2011/06/17 13:16:34

+2
Why else do people spend millions of dollars for a job that pays $174,000. Being a politician is like getting a license to steal.

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irish -liberty or death! 2011/06/17 13:01:08

+2
then what the hell is he doing in office?? oh ,right i forgot ,thats where all the deals are made.

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Tau_Seti to irish -... 2011/06/17 13:04:37

+2
Mantra: "Me FIRST and then We the People".

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irish -... to Tau_Seti 2011/06/17 13:07:47

+2
more like "me me me screw you people!"

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Tau_Seti 2011/06/17 12:59:04

+1
Ah, "vested interests".

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