Paul Ryan work tirelessly to undermine "American Exceptionalism". Huh?

[Scuba]

http://www.jsonline.com/business/123722829.html


<snip>

Inventors and entrepreneurs who would like to see the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office keep the fees it collects - rather than have the agency further decimated by congressional raids on its funds - have a powerful and newly outspoken opponent.

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has signed a strongly worded letter to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, objecting to a key provision in pending patent-reform legislation that would let the patent office retain those fees and spend them on rebuilding itself after years of underfunding.

Removing the provision would permit Congress to continue a practice that has become commonplace during the past two decades, as it has helped itself to nearly $1 billion collected by the agency from patent applicants, money that Congress diverted to other government spending.

The congressional raids have been disastrous for the patent office, according to a two-year Journal Sentinel examination, which illustrated how delays and massive backlogs at the understaffed and inadequately equipped agency have impeded U.S. competitiveness and innovation. Garage entrepreneurs and start-ups often suffer the greatest setbacks when they are unable to get timely patent protection for their ideas.

<end snip>

[Timbuk3]

1. Paul Ryan is working hard

...to enshrine himself atop the "worst congressman in the world" category.