‘The chairman of the Spokane County Republican Party is standing behind state Rep. Matt Shea’s decision to post a picture of himself on the Internet standing on his Democratic challenger’s property despite public outcry that cuts across partisan lines’.

“This looks like a fabricated issue following a poor primary performance,” county GOP Chair Matthew Pederson said of complaints by state House hopeful Amy Biviano and others that Shea went too far with the photo, which was posted to the incumbent lawmaker’s Facebook page along with the location of a nearby intersection. Shea explained in the Facebook post that he had been door-belling the neighborhood, which was just added to the 4th Legislative District this year’.

“Personally, I wish Matt would have taken it down,” said Knezovich, who has praised Biviano’s stands on domestic violence issues but insists he is remaining neutral in the race. “Matt has called law enforcement multiple times with concerns about his residence and his wife’s safety. Matt knows what it’s like to be in that public realm.”

‘Shea did not return calls seeking comment about the picture, but he did respond on his Facebook page to a posting about the photo on The Spokesman-Review’s Spin Control blog. Shea noted that in the primary, he beat Biviano by about 20 percentage points and accused the newspaper of “trying to rehabilitate a radical pro-choice socialist who just got trounced in the primary.”


http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2012/aug/18/sheas-picture-backed-by-gop/

In 2008, however, Ryan vowed not to request earmarks anymore; he later helped push through an outright ban. I asked [John Beckord, a Ryan supporter and the head of Forward Janesville,] whether Ryan’s libertarianism ever clashed with the needs of his constituents. He hesitated, then said, finally, "I suppose there could have been a full-court press to just cobble together as much federal money as possible on our behalf to make it irresistible for G.M. to keep this plant open."


http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/08/06/120806fa_fact_lizza#ixzz23ppoXZ82

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Mitt Romney's vice-presidential pick, is a virulent denier of climate science, with a voting record to match.

A favorite of the Koch brothers, Ryan has accused scientists of engaging in conspiracy to "intentionally mislead the public on the issue of climate change." He has implied that snow invalidates global warming.

Ryan has voted to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from limiting greenhouse pollution, to eliminate White House climate advisers, to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture from preparing for climate disasters like the drought devastating his home state, and to eliminate the Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E).


http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/08/11/677051/meet-paul-ryan-climate-denier-conspiracy-theorist-koch-acolyte/

... poor.

Under Ryan's budget, you'll likely pay more in taxes — people who make less than $30,000 a year will see their effective tax rates go up as tax breaks like the Earned Income Tax Credit are reduced — while receiving even less in services.

See, while you, as a member of the bottom 20% of wage earners, will be paying an average of $159 more in taxes, your boss' boss, a member of the top 20%, will probably be paying something like $13,907 less — meaning there's not nearly as much money for income-security programs like unemployment and food stamps (which will receive a 16% cut). Or for Medicaid, which Ryan would cut by a third (potentially kicking out 14 to 27 million people).



... a government worker.

Ryan's budget would extend the current freeze on federal worker pay rates, meaning you wouldn't get a raise until 2015 at the earliest. You'll also be asked to put more money into your retirement plan. Oh, also: one in ten of you will get laid off over the next three years.



... a veteran.

Hope you don't need much in the way of services! The Ryan budget cuts spending on veterans by $11 billion. Maybe you can get a job on Stars Earn Stripes?



... a woman.

Ryan voted against the Lily Ledbetter fair pay act, co-sponsored legislation declaring that "human life shall be deemed to begin with fertilization" and has voted to defund Planned Parenthood several times.



... a student.

If you're on a Pell Grant, you might lose it — eligibility will be tightened — and even if you don't, it'll be worth less: the Ryan budget wouldn't let the grants keep pace with inflation. And if you're on student loans, Ryan would double the interest rate you're paying, from 3.4 percent to 6.8.



... an old person.

Actually, if you're old right this minute, you're not necessarily screwed: the Ryan Budget's big Medicare overhaul doesn't affect current old people, just future old people. (In a weird coincidence, current old people vote at much higher rates than future old people.)

But if you're planning on being an old person? Instead of being enrolled in Medicare automatically, you'll be given a voucher that will likely cover some, but not all, of your health-care costs, and you'll end up paying about $6,000 more a year than you would have under the current system. The idea is that you'll be taking personal responsibility for your health, and make smarter choices, like dying early.



... Mitt Romney.

On the one hand, you're now tied to a budget plan that's deeply unpopular among moderates and seniors and your supporters like your running mate more than they like you.

On the other hand, under Ryan's plan your effective tax rate will be about one percent.



... Joe Biden.

You will probably have to try in this debate, at least a little bit.



... actor Zach Woods.

People will be telling you that you look just like Paul Ryan for at least the next three months, and possibly for the next eight-plus years.



... a single mom paying her way through college with wages from her low-income job, assisted by student loans and Pell Grants.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Hahahaha. Hahaha. Sorry.



...rich.

He won't! You're set. Have fun.

Mr. Ryan’s enormous influence was apparent last summer when Representative Eric Cantor, the second most powerful House Republican, told Mr. Obama during negotiations over an attempted bipartisan “grand bargain” that Mr. Ryan disliked its policy and was concerned that a deal would pave the way for Mr. Obama’s easy re-election, according to a Democrat and a Republican who were briefed on the conversation.

Right now folks here in Iowa and across the heartland are suffering from one of the worst droughts in 50 years. Farmers and ranchers depend on a good crop season to pay the bills and put a roof over their heads, and I know that things are tough right now.


The best way to help these states is for leaders in Congress to pass a farm bill that not only helps farmers and ranchers respond to natural disasters, but also makes necessary reforms and gives them some long-term certainty. But right now, too many members of Congress are blocking that bill from becoming law. Now, I’m told Governor Romney’s new running mate might be around Iowa these next few days. And he’s one of those leaders of Congress standing in the way. So if you happen to see Congressman Ryan, tell him how important this farm bill is to Iowa and our rural communities. It’s time to put politics aside and pass it right away.


But the folks suffering from this drought can’t wait for Congress to do its job. So in the meantime, I’ve made sure my Administration is doing everything we can to provide relief to those who need it. Last week, we announced $30 million to help farmers and ranchers, get more water to livestock, and rehabilitate land affected by the drought. Today, we’re announcing that the federal government will help livestock producers by purchasing over $150 million worth of meat and fish now, while prices are low, and freeze it for later. We’ve got a lot of freezers. (Laughter).