Stimulated By Proof, Paul Ryan Admits He Asked For Stimulus Money
ABC News reported “I’m not one [of those] people who votes for something then writes to the government to ask them to send us money. I did not request any stimulus money,” the congressman answered.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Ryan said the congressman felt it was his job to provide “the basic constituent service of lending his assistance for federal grant requests.”
Left out in the Cold
Friday, February 04, 2011
One of the largest and strongest winter storms of the season is sweeping across the country, from New Mexico in the Southwest to Maine in the Northeast. It stretches across the South through Texas and into Florida. It spans the Upper Midwest from Montana to New York. Some areas of the country are receiving record snowfall. Temperatures are dropping dozens of degrees below zero, and wind chills are making it even colder. Ice and freezing rain is mixed in, and some areas have even received threats of tornadoes and thunderstorms.
And yet, just last week, the Republican Study Committee in the House of Representatives – whose membership roster includes Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan – proposed to eliminate the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Not only would that scream “you’re fired” to 27,500 home improvement workers, it also sends a clear message – that House Republicans intend to leave our most vulnerable citizens in the cold. Literally.
The Weatherization Assistance Program employs workers in every state and county in America and has weatherized more than 7.1 million homes over the past 35 years. Weatherization has proved its value and is a highly successful and effective investment in the American workforce — weatherization improvements funded by the 2009 stimulus law alone created 14,000 new jobs, according to the White House Recovery.gov website.
Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation ($20 Million): The Wisconsin Energy Efficiency (WE2) Project will build on a successful pilot program in the City of Milwaukee to help residential and commercial building owners overcome the barriers to retrofits. By improving the flow of information through marketing and outreach and lowering initial costs for retrofits by buying down interest rates and using innovative performance contracting, the program will increase the number of retrofits in Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine. The project includes a strong focus on local workforce development, leveraging local initiatives and training, providing jobs for community residents, and engaging under a community workforce agreement. Additionally, a public education component will be included in this program.
