Cheers and boos greeted House Republican Paul Ryan at his Kenosha listening session Tuesday. Ryan asked the packed auditorium at Gateway Technical College for “civility” during the gathering.
The architect of the GOP budget said to help get entitlement programs solvent again; their plan calls for less spending on the wealthy and will “focus your money on the poor, on the safety net.”
Beginning in 2022, Medicare recipients would choose from a list of private insurers that are subsidized rather than the current method of government directly paying the bill.
A woman said her kids would be hurt by Ryan’s future plans for Medicare, “You’re screwing our generation and the next one.”
Ryan said “the path we are on is destroying the next generation,” while “failing to address the status quo is the biggest mistake we can make.”
One man questioned the claim that Medicare is going broke, based on the little amount it paid for his major operation.
More than once, the Janesville Republican pressed forward as audience members grumbled or shouted comments and suggested alternatives.
Meanwhile about 80 protestors gathered outside the town hall with signs that read “Hands Off My Medicare” and “Paul Ryan, Stop Lyin’
When the town hall concluded the First District Congressman was escorted by a number of police officers, a far cry from the days when just a few constituents showed up for his listening sessions.
AUDIO: Ryan and Constituents montage (1:04)
Tom Karkow-WRJN
