Paul Ryan: Mission Is to Address Root Causes of Poverty, Not Only the Symptoms

By Melanie Hunter
9/20/2012
CNSNews (www.cnsnews.com)

We should not be measuring the progress of our social programs - programs like food stamps - based upon how many people receive them. We should be measuring the progress of our social programs by how many people we transition off of them into lives of self-sufficiency and jobs and upward mobility. That's not what we're getting in this economy.

Ryan said he and Romney are worried about more people becoming dependent on government and not themselves, "because by promoting more dependency, by not having jobs and economic growth, people miss their potential."

Paul Ryan in Dover, New Hampshire

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DOVER, NH (CNSNews.com) - GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, speaking to supporters in Dover, N.H. said, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's mission is to address the "root causes of poverty instead of simply treating the symptoms."

"So, our goal, our mission is to address the root causes of poverty instead of simply treating the symptoms of poverty. That's very critical. You see, by going after the root causes of poverty, trying to break the cycle of poverty, you need economic growth. You need job creation. You need higher take-home pay," Ryan said.

Ryan said the Obama economy "is not providing the kind of economic growth, the job creation, the system of upward mobility, the system of opportunity that we've historically had in this country."

He acknowledged that President Barack Obama came into office "with a real mess on his hands - no two ways about that."

The problem was, "he didn't make things better," Ryan said. "We don't have the kind of recovery we ought to be having, especially based on the kind of recession we had.

"So, when just last month alone, for every person who found a job, four people stopped looking for a job. We need to create at least 150,000 every single month just to keep pace with population," Ryan said.

"We should not be measuring the progress of our social programs - programs like food stamps - based upon how many people receive them. We should be measuring the progress of our social programs by how many people we transition off of them into lives of self-sufficiency and jobs and upward mobility. That's not what we're getting in this economy," Ryan added.

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CNSNews.com is a division of the Media Research Center, a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization. Like National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System, CNSNews.com is able to provide its services and information to the public at no cost, thanks to the generous support of our thousands of donors and their tax-deductible contributions.This article is reprinted with permission.

Keywords: Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, redistribution, Barack Obama, campaign 2012, Melanie Hunter

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1 - 10 of 14 Comments

Tom
8 months ago
How is 16 trillion dollars stolen from our children charity. How is 24 million out of work or under employed charity. How is an economy that is growing at a rate of 1.3 % and cannot even keep up with the number of people added to the work force charity. How is 750,billion dollar taken from the old and given to the government charity. We elected a man four years ago who had no experience in government, let alone business. Time to make a change.
Joe
8 months ago
Hi JoAnn!

I read my post again and did not see any mention of Intitlements or idleness or Socialism, just the cold facts of why our current economy leads to job migration and concentration of power.

So I am assuming you wish to steer the conversation to Socialism and such.... Great I accept!

Have your forgot .. James 5: 1-6 ??
You cannot throw away the words of James the Just because they do not suit your desires.

Or Mark 10: 17-25 Are you ignoring Jesus's teaching to support your agenda?? Please say it is not so.

Socialism..

As for me I support the Armed services, police and fire, the schools, universities, Freeway system, airports, shipping ports, Tax relief for industrial parks etc..... The list is long

You do not? Even the Catholic church is a socialist structure, (look it up before you argue)

Wait for it, before you decry that infrastructure is not Socialism, remember that infrastructure is a capital asset! Without it business would not flourish economy would fail.

Imagine having a business without police protection, or a nation without the Armed services.
All supported by the people who pay taxes.

Well some of us, Your Canidate, Mr Romney, pays less than me!!! Actually he is one of the
47% living off the taxes of others!

Job creator!?!? He grows richer while the economy flounders, where are the jobs. Come on now look it up, be fair to yourself, The rich have grown richer, while everyone else slides lower.
Come on now research it for yourself :) Income inequality

Job creation is not a function of wealth concentration.

Wow it boggles my mind the hypocrisy in his comments about living off the government!
JoAnn
8 months ago
Joe: A very wise gentleman once said "In my youth, I traveled much, and I observed in different countries that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. AND, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer. In short, YOU offered a premium for the encouragement of idleness, and YOU should not now wonder that it has had its effect in the increase of poverty." Benjamin Franklin Entitlements are what make people poor and nothing else. Another wise man once said "Ask not what your country can DO for you, ask what YOU can do for your country." John F. Kennedy Poverty comes from relying on Socialistic governments instead of yourself. God bless.
tuparletrop
8 months ago
the thruth is as the population is getting older and the coorperations are illigally forcing them out.Therfore you as a nation will end up with more fifthy years old like me babysitting.
and collecting what ever is available...to survive ie ....,unemployement,early retirement ect ....The pool will get bigger,do not blame everyting oh people with food tamp, that is a lie...think about the fithy something group of people unable to work in their choosing field due to downsizing....
Joe
8 months ago
JoAnn

Simple answer, when you move capital to other countries you move employment with it.

The manufacturing base has shifted from us, to cheaper labor.
A very natural condition of the "free economy" you support.

Folks, the economy is controlled by people, not you! But by a very slim minority of people.
It is not sentient, gas prices did not rise because of a hurricane! Food prices did not rise because of drought!

Unless the hurricane and drought strolled over to Wall Street and entered a new price into the books, People did it!

Free market, Please!
JoAnn
8 months ago
Will someone on the left please answer a simple question for me? If the left is supposed to be the only party that can erase poverty in this nation, WHY does America have more poor today than it has ever had before? Nevermind, it's Bush's fault, right? God bless.
Tom McGuire
8 months ago
This article repeats the political talk we hear everyday via the media. How do we get to what we agree is an ideal where people need less food stamps? Having worked in a poor community I find it hard to understand the political talk about dependency. I know many poor hard working people whose wages do not support the necessities of life for their family. They are not moochers; they are human persons who love their family and want only the best for their children. I know many who do not have the skills or the knowledge to move from the status of poverty to living in a condition of human dignity. What do we do to transform economic conditions to serve the common good? I have not heard a plan from any political leader to address the real problems of the poor. I certainly reject the notion that radical individualism, an Ayn Rand, principle praised by Paul Ryan, is not the direction indicated in Catholic Social Doctrine.
Verbummilitant
8 months ago
It's real simple. We either continue to feed them fish until we bankrupt our country or enable them to fish for themselves. Which option is true Charity? That is what this election is all about.
Lindangel
8 months ago
God bless, Paul Ryan, this young man is speaking the truth-but the problem is-no one wants to hear the truth or they just "can't handle the truth". And democratic Catholics are the worst about handling the truth. They want to keep burying their heads in the sand-when it comes to the facts about their democratic party and Obama--the democratic party is now the socialist party.
Obama wants people to stay on welfare, medicaid and food stamps--so he can control them!
Wake up Catholics--we are 77 million strong and it only takes 50 million votes to get the worst president ever in the history of the United States-OUT OF OFFICE! And please don't forget Obama is for abortion and for a man marrying a man and a women marrying a women. What would God say to you and more important- how will God judge you someday?
J. Bob
8 months ago
Ryan's plan seems to have the best chance of getting this country back on it's economic feet.

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/ED-AP726_1wedge_D_20120905181504.jpg

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