Frank Lautenberg: “we are at a moment in time when Americans across the country are confused by what they are hearing; it is hard to…”

“we are at a moment in time when Americans across the country are confused by what they are hearing; it is hard to discern truth from fiction. One of the proposals that is being talked about is from the Republican nominee for Vice President, Paul Ryan, who is known for his budget proposals. We have to look at them squarely and decide what is reliable, what is true, and what is, as I said earlier, fiction. Those proposals cut taxes for the rich, raise taxes on the middle class, while abandoning the sick, the poor, and our children. The Ryan budget can only be good for one very small group of Americans: the wealthiest among us. Now, I was fortunate to succeed in business--succeed in a way that would have been impossible to dream about when I was growing up in a poor family. But I was helped by our country's government for my service in the military during the big war. But in our democracy, each person gets one vote. So what do you do as a candidate for national office when your vision for the country is good for the few and bad for the many? You can pretend it is good for everybody. You can say it will benefit all Americans. In short, you can substitute fiction for truth. This approach was on brilliant display at the Republican Convention when Paul Ryan claimed the Republican plan would help the middle class--help that, frankly, we believe would take us downhill instead of Operation Uplift.…”