Makers and Takers
Entry in progress—B.P.
The Wall Street Journal
COMMENTARY
A Better Way Up From Poverty
I’ve learned I was wrong to talk about ‘makers and takers.’ We have to do more to unwind the cycle of dependency on government.
By PAUL RYAN
Aug. 15, 2014 6:19 p.m. ET
CBS News
By JAKE MILLER CBS NEWS January 9, 2016, 6:07 PM
Why Paul Ryan stopped referring to “makers” and “takers”
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, used to occasionally refer to Americans as “takers” and “makers” in speeches about economic policy - the former was a reference to Americans on government benefits. In a 2014 Wall Street Journal opinion piece, however, Ryan acknowledged that the phrase “gave insult where none was intended,” and promised to stop using it.
In an interview Saturday with “Face the Nation” moderator John Dickerson, Ryan explained why he changed his tune on the subject.
“I was wrong,” explained Ryan in the interview, which will air Sunday on “Face the Nation.” “I mean, when you do something that it wrong, you should call to it.”