Paul Ryan Justifies Screwing Sandy Victims By Calling Flood Insurance Program Irresponsible

Last updated on February 8th, 2013 at 12:21 am

Trust

Human beings’ survival is dependent on reliance of the character, ability, or truth of someone or something in which they placed confidence in a future or provisional condition whether it is common defense or something as simple as a mutual agreement. Trust plays an important role in everyday living such as handing over hard-earned money for a dependable product or the expectation that another driver will honor a traffic signal and stop when the light is red. Financial institutions such as banks put a certain amount of trust that when an individual borrows money they will pay it back, and health insurance policy holders trust that when they fall ill, the carrier will pay for medical treatment provided by doctors. Within hours of the 113th Congress being sworn in, 67 House members voted against funding the government flood relief program for victims of Hurricane Sandy, and the House Budget Committee chairman, Paul Ryan, justified his no vote claiming that “maintaining the existing flood insurance relief program was irresponsible” despite flood victims paid for coverage in the event of a natural disaster.

Ryan’s remark represents a fundamental mindset among Republicans who are gearing up to hold the debt ceiling hostage and threaten the full faith and credit of the United States and its agreement to pay its debts. Republicans have demonstrated a tendency to break all trust whether it is between the government and its debtors, or the American people they were elected to serve including welshing on the government’s promise to reimburse Americans who purchased flood insurance, or providing retirement income to working Americans who paid into the Social Security retirement Trust Fund. The idea of reneging on an agreement in civil matters generally results in a breach of contract judgment that forces the party guilty of abrogating their commitment to pay according to a mutually agreed contract, but Republicans are attempting to negate agreements with impunity under the guise of fiscal responsibility.

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By now, any semi-conscious American understands raising the debt ceiling merely authorizes the government to borrow to pay for the expenditures Congress has already voted for, and yet the GOP is holding the debt limit hostage unless Democrats agree to annul the agreement between retirees and the Social Security Trust. When Paul Ryan cavalierly dismissed, as irresponsible, maintaining the flood insurance relief program, he expressed a Republican ideology that contracts, agreements, and promises can be breached if it benefits conservative’s agenda.  A recurring theme among conservatives is that programs such as Social Security and Medicare are expenses the government cannot bear, and as such, it is irresponsible to maintain the agreement between working Americans and the government retirement program. In fact, Republicans in states and Congress have been on a rampage to break agreements between American workers and employers by allowing employers to revoke pensions and health benefits employees paid into faithfully, and the argument is always the same; it is irresponsible to maintain a mutually agreed contract, and it is irrespective of employees in the public or private sector.

It is foolish to state, categorically, that all Republicans are dishonest and advocate America reneging on its debt, or breaking agreements between Americans and the government, but it is difficult to find one instance that Republicans have been faithful to the public trust. Prior to the start of the 112th Congress, Republicans promised faithfully their intention upon taking control of the House was creating jobs, and yet after two full years they never proposed one job creation bill. They also have promised to protect Medicare for future beneficiaries, but instead of the guaranteed government program, they sought to privatize the system to benefit the insurance industry and deprive retirees of the benefits they were promised throughout their working lives. Most working Americans look forward to retiring at age 65 and having a meager income and healthcare they paid for, but one of the GOP’s top goals is raising the retirement age to 67 that leaves the elderly with little hope of medical care for two years when they need it most, and when they were promised it would be there for them.

It is possible the tendency towards dishonesty is why Republicans are unfazed when men like Ryan break his oath of office to “support and defend the Constitution” that contains a preamble condition to “provide for the general welfare” of the American people. Ryan’s “no” vote to block flood relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy was a glaring breach of his oath of office, and his justification that maintaining the government’s obligation to cover flood insurance claims was irresponsible exposes a major Republican character flaw. Any covenant that benefits the American people can be reneged on regardless if it is public or private collective bargaining agreements, private or government pension plans, government flood insurance, private health insurance, or Social Security, no agreement is sacred and can be broken if Republicans believe providing a product the people paid for think it is irresponsible to maintain.

 



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