Ryan in Provo: Don’t resent success, emulate it

by Dustin Schwanger

Vice presidential candidate, Paul Ryan, spoke to over 700 people on Wednesday evening in Provo’s Utah Valley Convention Center after a day of fundraising in the area.

Introduced by Josh Romney, one of Mitt Romney’s five sons, and in the company of Utah senator Orrin Hatch, Ryan continued with the campaign’s emphasis on capitalism and American ingenuity saying, “In America, we don’t want to resent success; we want to emulate it.”

Following the theme of freedom, Ryan said, “America is special because it is the only country in history founded upon an idea, that freedom comes from nature and God—not government,” which statement roused the mostly student audience.

Ryan finished his fifteen-minute speech again attacking government intrusion into Americans’ lives, saying, “The family is the nucleus of society—not government.”

This reception wrapped up a day of fundraising in the Provo area. Earlier in the day the campaign hosted a dinner with Ryan for $25,000 a plate, and later, for $3,000, supporters could meet Ryan and have their picture taken with him. The final fundraising event was this reception costing $1,000 a person, but only $20 for students.