Paul Ryan and the 14 AWOL Dems

On February 23, 2011, while speaking at the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Business Day in Madison, Paul Ryan commented on the 14 Democratic Wisconsin state senators' cowardly stunt.

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PAUL RYAN: I find this episode in Madison and Indiana really curious. I didn't like the legislation that was moving through Washington in the last two years. I didn't like cap and trade. I didn't like ObamaCare. I didn't like the stimulus. But I didn't walk out.

We stayed and did our jobs. We voted. We tried to amend. We made our debates. We put the votes, and elections have consequences. They won. We lost. That's the way it works. So I just don't understand this lack for respect for the rule of law.

And I want to tell you, right now, it's kind of a time here in Madison of partisan controversy. This does not have to be partisan. This does not have to be Republicans versus Democrats. This has to be honesty and truth versus empty promises. Do we want real security and an opportunity society with a safety net? Or do we want the cradle to grave social welfare state?

...This does not have to be a partisan issue. This has to be about what is it that makes us great, what are the principles that have made America so exceptional, and how do we reapply these principles to the problems of the times today so that we can reclaim this.

The whole purpose of putting out this roadmap I put out before, the whole purpoe of us putting a budget out that leads in the absence of leadership in Washington, is to prove and show the nation that we can fix our problems, that we can have prosperity, that we can have economic growth, that we can get it back.

That is, afterall, why you sent us to do these jobs. And I just simply want to say to you: Those of you who are out there in industry taking risks, hiring people, putting up with the paperwork, clearing the hurdles of tax rates, doing what you do not knowing whether the future's going to be successful or not -- thank you. Thank you, because that is the nucleus of opportunity, that is the nucleus of our society and our economy. Thank you for doing that. And if we stick together, I have no doubt in my mind that we will overcome these hurdles.

It's that simple - a responsible public servant does not run away.

The 14 Wisconsin Democrats are irresponsible and selfish. They're tools of the unions and offering no fix to our problems.