Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Paul Ryan Asked for Stimulus for Wisconsin Conservation Groups

Update Aug. 16: After first lying and denying, Ryan now says it was a mistake:

Representative Paul D. Ryan said on Thursday it was a mistake to have requested funds in 2009 from the federal stimulus bill after voting against it.

Mr. Ryan earlier denied asking for money from the $787 billion stimulus on behalf of companies in his Wisconsin district, contradicting a report by The Boston Globe on Tuesday that he wrote to the federal Energy Department requesting funds for two companies to develop so-called green jobs.

“No, I never asked for stimulus,’’ Mr. Ryan said in an interview with WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, which was broadcast Thursday. NYT

It's looking like Paul Ryan's image isn't the real Paul Ryan. Ryan supported Bush's Medicare drug program, TARP, the auto bailout and sought stimulus.
In 2009, as Rep. Paul D. Ryan was railing against President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package as a “wasteful spending spree,” he wrote at least four letters to Obama’s secretary of energy asking that millions of dollars from the program be granted to a pair of Wisconsin conservation groups, according to documents obtained by the Globe

The advocacy appeared to pay off; both groups were awarded the economic recovery funds -- one receiving a $20 million grant to help thousands of local businesses and homes improve their energy efficiency, agency documents show.

Ryan’s letters to the energy secretary praising the energy initiatives as he sought a portion of the funding are in sharp contrast to the House Budget Committee chairman’s image as a Tea Party favorite adamantly opposed
to federal spending on such programs. 
....

“I was pleased that the primary objectives of their project will allow residents and businesses in the partner cities to reduce their energy costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and stimulate the local economy by creating new jobs,” Ryan wrote to Energy Secretary Steven Chu on December 18, 2009, on behalf of the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation. Boston Globe

Paul Ryan takes his turn kissing up to Sheldon Adelson, whose businesses are undergoing two criminal investigations. Also, Ryan clearly knows nothing about Vegas economics. Las Vegas has a boom and bust economy. The casino industry is barely taxed. During the recession it was hit hard because of an oversupply of housing and too few tourists:


Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


Ryan denies asking for stimulus: