Paul Ryan: Obama’s Approach to Poverty Perpetuates the Problem (Video)

It should come as no surprise that Rep. Paul Ryan wouldn’t cotton to the Obama administration’s take on targeting poverty in these times of economic unrest and income inequality.

So what would he do differently? Funny you should ask. The former Republican vice presidential candidate has fixed his steely gaze on the poverty quandary and Thursday issued a proposal for giving struggling families a leg-up and rebuilding America’s economy.

On Sunday, Ryan continued his poverty-themed media blitz with an appearance on “Meet the Press,” during which he touched on some bullet points from his proposal (via The Huffington Post):

Host David Gregory asked the representative to speak to comments he made in January of 2013, in which Ryan said the country struggles with “more and more able-bodied people” becoming “dependent on the government.” Gregory said Ryan didn’t sound like he had much “sympathy” for impoverished Americans.

“We don’t want to have a poverty management system that simply perpetuates poverty,” Ryan said, pitching his poverty proposal that he says will allow for a customized approach to each individual’s needs.

As opposed to a “management” model, then, Ryan claims that his approach, which emphasizes “accountability” and gives states more sway over poverty programs, would have the end goal of boosting people out of the lowest income brackets. Watch Ryan explain it all to David Gregory below.

–Posted by Kasia Anderson