Paul Ryan's 30 Percent Speech

Paul Ryan spoke to the American Spectator's 2011 Robert L. Bartley Gala Dinner. Ryan told the crowd that 30 percent of Americans want to live off the federal government and have no interest in achieving the American dream.

"Today, 70 percent of Americans get more benefits from the federal government in dollar value than they pay back in taxes," Ryan said. "So you could argue that we're already past that [moral] tipping point. The good news is survey after survey, poll after poll, still shows that we are a center-right country. Seventy percent of Americans want the American dream. They believe in the American idea. Only 30 percent want their welfare state. What that tells you is at least half of those people who are currently in that category are there not of their wish or free will."

Simply put, Ryan is lying about these numbers. I have never heard of any poll that showed a significant segment of Americans that don't want the American dream. Ryan is just making up these numbers. Just like Ryan fibbed about his marathon time and that President was responsible for the Janesville auto plant that closed during President Bush's second term.

What is even more astounding is Ryan himself has benefitted from the federal government. Ryan's college education was paid for by his late father's Social Security benefits. I don't fault Ryan for using the Social Security benefits to pay for his education. I fault Ryan for being a hypocrite.