It seems the Representative Paul Ryan has been in the news a lot lately. I had the opportunity to catch one of his interviews recently and in those few, stolen minutes heard a lot of things I liked - enough to download a copy of his roadmap. Over the last couple evenings I took some time to read it in more detail and I am impressed.
What impresses me the most is that it truly is a roadmap. In other words, he just doesn’t say we need to fix healthcare or lower our debt, he actually has a well thought out plan for how to get from where we are today to where he is proposing. This is in stark contrast to the ‘feel good’ sound bites we get from so many of our current, elected leaders today.
Two great examples where he provides a solid, concrete path forward is with Medicare and Social Security reform. Both entitlements are in trouble financially and clearly are on an unsustainable path. What makes them particularly difficult to fix is that so many Americans are in position where they are counting on the benefits already promised to them in those programs. What Rep. Ryan proposes is that we guarantee the benefits in both cases for those individuals who are already 55 years or older but for those under 55 changes are necessary – and he outlines what those changes would be. He doesn’t blow up either system but gradually puts them back on track and in a way that future generations can adjust to what those changes will be before they also have to rely on them. As someone well shy of 55, I never have believed those programs would be solvent by time I was old enough to qualify them and think many people in my generation have been planning for their retirement with that in mind anyway The changes proposes by Rep. Ryan would only be a pleasant surprise to those of us who never planned on receiving anything.
The “Roadmap for America’s Future 2.0” is about a 100 page document and I’m not going to do it justice to try and summarize it here. I would recommend though that you check out the website and at least read the opening summary. Representative Ryan’s plan is well thought out, available for public review, and bold reminder that the President just isn’t being honest when he says the Republicans aren’t bringing alternatives to the table.