Paul Ryan Quotations | Page 2

We are all representatives of the American people. We all do town hall meetings. We all talk to our constituents. And I've got to tell you, the American people are engaged. And if you think they want a government takeover of health care, I would respectfully submit you're not listening to them.

When I was waiting tables, washing dishes, or mowing lawns for money, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. I was on my own path, my own journey, an American journey where I could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself.

To my great disappointment, it appears that the politics of division are making a big comeback. Many Americans share my disappointment - especially those who were filled with great hope a few years ago, when then-Senator Obama announced his candidacy in Springfield, Illinois.

If you're running for president, you've got to do a lot of things to line up a candidacy. I've not done any of those things. It's not my plan. My plan is to be a good chairman of the House Budget Committee and fight for the fiscal sanity of this nation.

In Pennsylvania, 38 percent of Pennsylvania seniors chose to get their Medicare from a plan called Medicare Advantage. It's their choice. Forty-seven percent of them are going to lose it under 'Obamacare' according to Medicare by 2017.

Hope and change? We're not doing that anymore. They're doing attack and blame. And so, I just think people are going to see through this. They want real leadership. They want us to get this country on the right track.

Look, only in Washington is not raising taxes considered a tax cut. Nobody's getting a tax cut here. We're not cutting taxes. We're preventing tax increases from occurring.

What I'm concerned about is endless borrowing, which is going to compromise our economy not only today but in the future. Because we know the decisions we make right now really dramatically impact us in the future, and the debt is literally getting out of our control.

Activist government overreach and ongoing economic stagnation have shown us why Washington should not try to displace what is best left to civil society.

I accept the calling of my generation to give our children the America that was given to us, with opportunity for the young and security for the old - and I know that we are ready.

I think its rather peculiar. It's not in keeping with our founding documents, our founding vision. But I'd guess you'd have to ask the Obama administration why they purged all this language from their platform. There sure is a lot of mention of government, so I guess I would put the onus on them to answer why they did all these purges of God.

In a clean break from the Obama years, and frankly from the years before this president, we will keep federal spending at 20 percent of GDP, or less. That is enough. The choice is whether to put hard limits on economic growth, or hard limits on the size of government, and we choose to limit government.

Look, I am not worried about Washington cutting too much spending too fast. I mean, the kinds of spending cuts we're talking about just right now are $100 billion out of a $3.7 trillion budget.

Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens: I am honored by the support of this convention for vice president of the United States. I accept the duty to help lead our nation out of a jobs crisis and back to prosperity - and I know we can do this.

President Obama was asked not long ago to reflect on any mistakes he might have made. He said, well, 'I haven't communicated enough.' He said his job is to 'tell a story to the American people' - as if that's the whole problem here? He needs to talk more, and we need to be better listeners?

Republicans have offered dozens of comprehensive healthcare plans many of which achieve comprehensive healthcare reform without breaking what's working in healthcare. We want to fix what's broken in healthcare.

This proposal, in and of itself, does not completely fix the Social Security solvency challenges, this is clearly a step in the right direction,

If a company is moving into a new product line, or if it's in an area where they have not developed an expertise, there's increased risk there. We'd need to talk more about what they are planning to do as a result of the expansion, and what benefit it is to the company.

What we don't have is a willingness for any Democrat to work with a Republican -- that's the biggest problem right now. It's too big of a partisan issue for Democrats to cooperate on, and that's been our biggest problem. We don't need a commission to tell us that.

It also tells the American people that we're finally getting serious about saving the Social Security surplus for Social Security benefits.

I think when the dust settles, the situation will look different than it does today.

I think this serves as a wakeup call to Wisconsin policymakers and consumers, ... We have an emergency situation with regard to health care costs and we need to act quickly.

I think Congress can walk and chew gum at the same time,

Penn students don't fight. They only fight with their lawyers.

When I first got elected, I was an unknown person from Janesville, Wisconsin. I'm not wealthy and I was able to do it, nonetheless. So I am living proof that an unknown, non-wealthy person can get elected to these seats.

When Governor Romney asked me to join the ticket, I said, 'Let's get this done' - and that is exactly, what we're going to do.

The rate of return on Social Security for people nearing retirement is about 1.5 percent. By the time young children like mine are ready to retire, that rate of return will be a negative percentage.

What we show with our bill is that with large personal accounts, you don't have to change benefits,

Those who say there's no problem and there's plenty of time are offering a misleading argument that the Social Security Trust Fund somehow has assets that can be used to draw upon starting in 12 years to pay benefits, but the trust fund does not contain cash or bonds or stocks to turn into funds. It contains IOUs reflecting the rate of the trust fund over the last few decades.

To me, it screams out for transparency in the health industry,

The results of this study are startling, ... Wisconsinites are paying a lot more for health care because consumers lack power and providers face little competition.

The social safety net is in place and intact. That's not the problem. The problem is a hurricane just pushed out hundreds of thousands of people, ... You're seeing people trying to pile unrelated agendas on top of this tragedy, which I think is unfortunate.

Soy has long been used as an ingredient in ink and paint and now it's an alternative fuel to power cars, trucks and other vehicles.

Your state is rightly characterized as being on the cutting edge of this.

This is an unambiguously positive outcome for Qantas. This increases confidence in a return to strong earnings momentum in 2006-07 as slowing capacity growth by rival carriers, robust demand and ongoing cost savings more than offset the residual fuel cost headwind.

America is, in fact, a very good place to build cars.

They point to their general conclusions for the source of high prices -- very little competition and a consolidation of providers,

It's a hot subject right now and we've discussed it a number of times. But we believe employees earn their tips, and their personalities are the best things they bring to the casino. We think it's in their best interests.

It's worth a little sacrifice on Good Friday.

If we tied against a Capitol Police team that was stronger, younger, and more talented, that counts as a victory,

In our view Lion Nathan's thirst for an RTD business and its Trans-Tasman asset footprint makes it the leading contender in any potential sale.

I don't think the White House is drawing any lines in the sand, these comments notwithstanding.

However, we believe Toll's ability to lift the cash component of its offer for Patrick is reduced, and that an ACCC victory/break-up of Pacific National is just as likely an outcome.

Politics has become a blood sport that goes beyond just the person whose name is on the ballot.

Life is short, you better make the most of it.

I'm a person that can get along with people. I like people who believe passionately in things even if they're not the things I agree with.

We have got to go and compete for the minds and the hearts and the votes of everybody in this country, no matter who they are. And what I think we`ve had is one party takes a group of people for granted and another party has not paid attention to them.

When government misleads the country about a terrorist attack, that erodes trust.

The problem with our deficit is not because Americans are taxed too little. The problem with the deficit is because Washington spends too much money. We have got to stop spending money we don't have.

I see myself as more of a policy maker than a political leader.

I think you can walk and chew gum at the same time. I think you can oppose the president on some issue that you fundamentally disagree with, but also work with the other party on issues you do agree with.

And when you look at the twentieth-century experiment with collectivism-that Ayn Rand, more than anybody else, did such a good job of articulating the pitfalls of statism and collectivism-you can't find another thinker or writer who did a better job of describing and laying out the moral case for capitalism than Ayn Rand.

Take a moment to imagine a world led by China or Russia. So we must lead.

I reject her [Ayn Rand's] philosophy. It's an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview. If somebody is going to try to paste a person's view on epistemology to me, then give me Thomas Aquinas. Don't give me Ayn Rand.

In a justly organized community, however, government exists to secure the right to life and the other human rights that follow from that primary right.

I think Ayn Rand did the best job of anybody to build a moral case of capitalism, and that morality of capitalism is under assault.

Let's pass a bill to cover the moon with yogurt that will cost $5 trillion today. And then let's pass a bill the next day to cancel that bill. We could save $5 trillion.

It's no coincidence that trust in government is at an all-time low now that the size of government is at an all-time high.

If you’re going to criticize, you should propose,

The rate of return on Social Security for people nearing retirement is about 1.5 percent. By the time young children like mine are ready to retire, that rate of return will be a negative percentage.

Hiding spending does not reduce spending.

When Governor Romney asked me to join the ticket, I said, 'Let's get this done' - and that is exactly, what we're going to do.

America is more than just a place...it's an idea. It's the only country founded on an idea. Our rights come from nature and God, not government. We promise equal opportunity, not equal outcomes.

PACs corrupt the system. They handle vast amounts of money and the money corrupts.

I give out Atlas Shrugged as Christmas presents, and I make all my interns read it.

I think it is inflationary. I think it actually is counterproductive in many ways. You end up costing jobs from people who are at the bottom rung of the economic ladder.

No, 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.

A Clinton presidency is an Obama third term. And it's very difficult for them to get away from it.

I'm as pro-life as a person gets. You're not going to have a truce.

On July 4th, we renew our commitment to the American Idea-the belief that all men are created equal. We read the Declaration. We tell our kids the history. We remember those who died to protect our country. And along the way, we remind ourselves of why we love it.

The man assumed office almost four years ago - isn't it about time he assumed responsibility?

With all their attack ads, the President is just throwing away money...and he's pretty experienced at that.

Child support should do just that - support children, not the federal government.

Film is the packaging of information in cans. Videotape is involved with the feeding back of process. Film rips information away from the situation for use elsewhere. Videotape can be fed back into a given situation and enrich experience. Film extends man as a spectator. Videotape extends man as a cybernator. Film imports information. Videotape implodes indigenous data.

Was it a good idea to spend taxpayer dollars on electric cars in Finland, or on windmills in China? Was it a good idea to borrow all this money from countries like China and spend it on all these various different interest groups?

The tax code is 10 times the size of the Bible with none of the good news.

I tend to avoid the shows that focus on politics, just to get a break from it all, i tried watching the first couple episodes of 'House of Cards,' but I thought it was way over the top. Members of Congress aren't anything like Frank Underwood. Most of us are far less interesting.

We can't keep measuring success by how much money are we throw at programs. We have to measure success as, 'Is it working?

Americans are better off in a dynamic, free-enterprise-based economy that fosters economic growth, opportunity and upward mobility instead of a stagnant, government-directed economy that stifles job creation and fosters government dependency.

It's a fundamental misunderstanding of human nature and of the concepts of liberty, freedom, and self-determination. It's a fundamental misunderstanding of economics. He (Obama) believes that the pie is fixed and that he needs to more equitably divide up the slices.

There's no reason that patients can't have electronic access to their complete medical history... Just as people can check their bank account information online or using their ATM card, patients who want to should have electronic access to their medical records...

We don't have a tax revenue problem in Washington, we have a spending problem in Washington.

Ultimately, the law will collapse under its own weight. Until then, we have to start building a better health care system in its place. And we need to start with a new principle: Put the patient in the driver's seat. That's how we can build a healthy economy.

But just because we can't fix Obamacare doesn't mean we can't start to get rid of its worst features. On Thursday, the House will take up a bill to define 'full time' as 40 hours per week, so more people can work full time.

Working together, America's military, Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi people have won a major battle in the war on terrorism.

The people of Wisconsin have been good to me. I've tried to live up to their trust. And now I ask those hardworking men and women, and millions like them across America, to join our cause and get this country working again. When Governor Romney asked me to join the ticket, I said, 'Let's get this done' - and that is exactly, what we're going to do.

You can't fix a fundamentally broken law; you've got to replace it. That's why Congress can't save Obamacare with a few tweaks, despite what its defenders say. No quick fix can correct the main flaw: The law takes power away from patients and hands it to bureaucrats. ...

I'm very proud of my pro-life record, and I've always adopted the idea that, the position that the method of conception doesn't change the definition of life.

I don't have the time. It would take me too long to go through all of the math.

Elections have consequences. And I fundamentally believe - this is my personal opinion, I know it's a slightly partisan thing to say - to really do what we think needs to be done, we're going to have to win some elections.

Yes, absolutely because we think there is a way to do this through earned legalization without rewarding people who have come in with undocumented status, illegally. We don't want to give them an advantage over those who came here legally and we think that there's a way to do this while still respecting the rule of law. It's clear that what the President is talking about does not do that...

I never asked for stimulus.

I voted to send people to war.

It all started off with stirring speeches, Greek columns, the thrill of something new. Now all that's left is a presidency adrift, surviving on slogans that already seem tired, grasping at a moment that has already passed, like a ship trying to sail on yesterday's wind.

Our rights come from nature and God, not government.

I do politics in order to do policy.

Either we have the government forcing us and telling us what we have to do, where we have to do it and how much we have to pay for it or we put ourselves in charge - we as consumers, as patients.

A lot of people don't believe in the American idea anymore.

Back in 2008, candidate Obama called a $10 trillion national debt 'unpatriotic' - serious talk from what looked to be a serious reformer. Yet by his own decisions, President Obama has added more debt than any other president before him, and more than all the troubled governments of Europe combined. One president, one term, $5 trillion in new debt.

While I respect the professionals at the FBI, this announcement defies explanation. No one should be above the law.