Over a month after John Boehner announced his resignation, Paul Ryan (R-WI) was officially elected to the position with 236 votes.
In the following letter to the new Speaker, I express my disappointment with the majority's decision. I do not invoke any of the gaffes from the 2012 election, nor do I cite any liberal biased news media. I even refrained from including any of the pictures from the infamous workout photoshoot, despite how funny they are. Rather, the following letter includes nothing but quotes from Speaker Ryan's acceptance address and highlights from his voting history.
Dear Mr. Speaker,
It is with deep concern that I express my dissatisfaction with the House Republicans' vote to elect you as Speaker of the House of Representatives. The GOP controlled House had the chance to make a move for bipartisanship. Instead, they chose to further alienate the House from the executive office by electing someone even farther to the right than Boehner. You said in your first address as Speaker, "wherever you come from, whatever you believe, we are all in the same boat." But who is really at the helm?
The role of the House of Representatives is to work with the rest of our governing bodies to pass appropriate legislature that represents the needs of the people. Nothing can be passed without the approval of our President. Therefore, it is required to compromise on ideals for the good of the people, something that seems difficult for you according to your voting history on many issues.
In your speech, you go on to say, "But we do not echo the people. We represent them. We are supposed to study up and do the homework that they cannot do."
I've been studying up, Mr. Speaker, and here is my homework.
I haven't forgotten that you voted to defund Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides millions of women (as well as men) with affordable health care including cancer screenings.
I haven't forgotten that you voted against the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, an act that would ensure women have the ability to combat wage discrimination in a court of law.
I haven't forgotten that you voted against amendments to the Employment Discrimination Law that would require employers to prove that wage differences are job related, not based on gender.
The likelihood of a woman winning the presidential election will be at an all time high in 2016. If we were to elect the first female president, your relationship with her will likely be even worse than that of Obama and your predecessor. Furthermore, do these votes really fall in line with the beliefs of your constituents? It's worth noting that only one of these measures even passed (planned parenthood), and the White House has already guaranteed a veto if it were to pass through the senate as well. Not to mention that the majority of Americans support funding for Planned Parenthood according to a Reuters poll. When you say "we do not echo the people," I think you've got the wrong idea.
I also haven't forgotten that you voted against raising the federal minimum wage, back when it was only $5.15.
I haven't forgotten that you voted in favor for an amendment that drastically cut spending on affordable housing.
I haven't forgotten that you voted in favor for an amendment that would subject food stamp applicants to work requirements before receiving benefits.
As you said in your address, "a lot is on our shoulders." Is the wellbeing of the nations poor and working class not one of those things? Ironically, you said right in your acceptance speech that "we are going to do all we can so working people get their strength back and people not working get their lives back. No more favors for the few. Opportunity for all—that is our motto." But your voting history clearly contradicts that. You will have to do more than throw in a line in a speech to convince me that you're willing to work for the middle class.
So, I challenge you, Honorable Paul Ryan, to support legislature that truly benefits the middle class. Withdraw your support for the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Show that you are willing to use your new position to reach bipartisan compromises.
