I won't pretend to know everything (or anything) specific about Paul Ryan. He has been my Congressman since I became really aware of politics in southeastern Wisconsin. I dig Ryan. It is that simple. The few times I've met him, he has been down to earth beyond measure. I can hear him echo the complaints I and those around me have about the current status of government in Washington each time we've met. He doesn't seem to have fallen off the back of the truck and turned to the mudslinging and politicking of his predecessor. (Not that I disagreed with his predecessor, but I think he made some huge political and philosophical mistakes in his campaign against Feingold.)
Ryan publishes a report every year; it is a type of report card on the government. While overly simplistic, it is a poignant statement of how our federal government spends money like drunken... whatever. Monkeys. That would make for a good caricature. The second page of the report details spending and revenue changes. It is staggering. Our federal (remember, this is not including state and local governments) has spent $3.136 TRILLION in fiscal year 2007. Trillion. Not Trillian, but Trillion...* A rounding error could easily be cause for $100 million more being spent than intended. I could do a lot with $100 million and I'm sure many others could. This is absolutely insane.
Take a look (click on image to see larger version):
*Tech buffs should get this one... hopefully.
