As ThinkProgress has been reporting, all over the country a Main Street Movement of ordinary Americans is fight back against right-wing attacks on their basic services and public investment. In recent days, this movement hasbeen focused on conservative legislators who voted for the GOP budget plan that wouldeffectively end Medicare.
Last night, during a town hall meeting posted onYouTube, in Kenosha, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the architect of the GOP plan to end Medicare, came face-to-face with this movement once again. At one point during the meeting, a man who identified himself as a long-time resident outraged about big corporations outsourcing jobs asked why Ryan doesn’t want to tax these companies, getting huge applause from the audience.
Ryan responded by saying that first we should deal with some tax shelters, and the crowd began to shout “Do it first!” Then Ryan started to say that we’re taxing corporations too much, which set off a spree of booing and shouts of “Liar!” Ryan responded by saying that those who are yelling should leave:
Last night, during a town hall meeting posted onYouTube, in Kenosha, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the architect of the GOP plan to end Medicare, came face-to-face with this movement once again. At one point during the meeting, a man who identified himself as a long-time resident outraged about big corporations outsourcing jobs asked why Ryan doesn’t want to tax these companies, getting huge applause from the audience.
Ryan responded by saying that first we should deal with some tax shelters, and the crowd began to shout “Do it first!” Then Ryan started to say that we’re taxing corporations too much, which set off a spree of booing and shouts of “Liar!” Ryan responded by saying that those who are yelling should leave:
CONSTITUENT: I’ve been around this area for quite a long time but once all the factories moved out and there’s no work for our grandchildren or children to get jobs. And if they did have have jobs and those factories were open if you applied a tariff on companies that left, they would come back, or our government could take the money they have and reinvest in the factories that are still here and get apprenticeship programs for people like electricians, pipefitters, plumbers, sheet metal men and put it back to work. You would have the money you need to balance all that. [referring to the budget] (applause from the audience)
RYAN: I agree with the first — I totally agree with that sentiment. First of all the tax system we have is a corrupt system it doesn’t work. It benefits a handful of people and businesses at the expense of everybody else.What I would say is let’s get rid of the tax shelters that let’s some pay get away with paying no taxes –
CONSTITUENT: Do it first! (cheers from audience)
RYAN: Come on, it’s not worth the peanut gallery. Let’s clean up the tax code and lower our tax rates. The reason why I say, the president’s commission said the same thing, we’re taxing our businesses our employers, a lot more than our competitors are taxing theirs –
(Audience boos, hisses)
CONSTITUENT: LIAR!
CONSTITUENT: He’s lying!
RYAN: If you’re yelling I just want to ask you to leave. It’s just not polite.
Watch it:
Ryan has been facing heat at town hall after town hall. Politico reports that Ryan “had to leave his last and most raucous town hall meeting Tuesday Elvis-style — ducking out a back entrance on advice of police as protesters surrounded his car.” (h/twlichter1 YouTube account)
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