I’m delighted that Mitt Romney has chosen Congressman Paul Ryan of Janesville, WI to be his Vice Presidential nominee. Ryan has always been one of my favorite politicians over the years and has an abundance of attributes.
Youth: Ryan first was elected to Congress at the age of 28 and is a seven term Congressman at the young age of 42.
Intellect: As far as raw intellectual “horse power” is concerned, Ryan is a superstar. It will be a “fun” exercise to see him debate Joe Biden.
Clarity: Ryan has the ability to take complex subjects (like the budget and the national debt) and explain them in plain language that the average voter can easily understand.
Speaking Ability: Ryan speaks succinctly, effectively, and authoritatively. This will be a big help to the Romney campaign.
Given all of these positive attributes Ryan will be a good choice for the Romney campaign only if he is effective in getting the average voter to understand that the United States of America stands on a fiscal cliff with little time to waste. We need a budget. We must cut federal government spending on a large scale. Giving Obama another four years may likely push the country over that fiscal cliff. If that happens, nobody in the United States of America will be better off.
Most of Ryan’s constituents live in Janesville and Racine Wisconsin. These towns were blue collar “factory” towns in the 1970’s and 1980’s. In Ryan’s Congressional district plant closures occurred twenty and thirty years ago. The same people who were high wage union workers back then have had to adjust, either by adapting their education and training, or by settling for a life where they have to work more for less pay. It hasn’t been easy for them, but these folks in Southeastern Wisconsin have adjusted. They know that there is no free lunch and that a Federal Government that borrows 40 cents of every dollar spent is, quite frankly, unsustainable. That’s why they’ve elected Paul Ryan 7 times to the US Congress.
Will the rest of America catch up to the wisdom and work ethic of those who live in Paul Ryan’s district? Hopefully so, and the sooner the better.
DonSalyards.com 
When I heard about Mitt Romney’s nomination yesterday I decided to investigate this guy’s voting record and stance on the issues in more detail. It is true Paul Ryan is a good Republican. I am a big fan of his stance on reigning in government spending, and his voting track record in these areas is very consistent with his stated beliefs. The Republican Party touts limited government, but the reality is government spending has generally been higher under both Republican Presidencies and Republican-controlled Congresses. So with that said, because his voting record is clear in this area, if the duo is elected, I am optimistic in this area.
However, I am disappointed daily that the Republican Party is still the party of straight, white, Bible-thumping, civil liberty-crushing, moral-enforcing policeMEN. Their actions and voting records towards gays and lesbians is flat out discriminatory. Most people today are appalled that interracial marriages were once considered illegal. Many Americans are often embarrassed and cannot fathom slavery or discriminating against someone because of the color of their skin. However, this is the stance the Republican Party has taken against gays. Ryan has a repeatedly voted against same-sex marriage, making illegal for gays to adopt children, and is against enforcing anti-gay hate crimes.
My other question is how can we have limited government when the Republican Party is interested in establishing a police-state? Again, Ryan’s voting record is very consistent in favoring bills that extend wire-tapping without warrants, allowing video-surveillance without a warrant, making the Patriot Act permanent, and allowing such surveillance without civil oversight. How can we really be free to live in this country when Ryan does not believe in the separation of church and state, encourages prayer in public schools, and would rather see a woman’s life at risk than allow for the termination of a fetus?
Paul Ryan is a good Republican. As far as politicians are concerned, he’s nothing special.
Kristina Swetz