The pick of Paul Ryan as the vice presidential candidate has added new energy to an already fired-up GOP base. Those who may have had doubts about Mitt Romney’s conservative leanings are doubting no more. There is excitement in the party about a man who talks about reapplying our founding principles, not about replacing them. Ryan speaks easily about the principles of limited government and the enumeration and separation of powers. Ryan also has an Ohio connection, having graduated from Ohio’s Miami University in 1992.

Do a Google search for a Democratic plan to save Medicare and you’ll come up empty. The only “plan” the Democrats have is for Medicare to continue on its path toward collapse. Do the same search for a Republican plan and you will find the Romney and Ryan plans, and while not identical, they both put forward practical ideas to save Medicare for future generations in a responsible way.

Obama’s Medicare cuts

Democrats will talk about the Ryan plan ending Medicare as we know it, and yes, Medicare has to change, because if it doesn’t, it will collapse. Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney are committed to preserving Medicare and Social Security in a way that will allow future generations to enjoy these programs. In fact the only real cuts to Medicare, which were enacted by President Barack Obama and the Democrats, rip $716 billion from Medicare to help pay for Obamacare. It’s the Democrats who are destroying Medicare.

The Democrats will see Ryan as a threat, someone who actually understands how the broken federal budget system works and how the very survival of our country is at stake. Even more frightening to the Democrats is that Ryan is willing and capable to speak the truth about the precarious situation our country is in.

Don’t fall for the nonsense about how the Ryan budget plan “slashes spending.” Government spending will still increase over the next decade; taxes and other revenues will continue to grow. The federal budget is in such bad shape that even with Ryan’s determined leadership we face many years of deficient spending. We can only hope that Romney and Ryan haven’t arrived too late.

By his selection of Ryan, Mitt Romney has made one of his most important decisions and he has made it well. Romney has proven his ability as a thoughtful leader and chief executive, in sharp contrast to Obama who has to contend with the almost daily gaffs of Joe Biden.

Attractive family

Paul Ryan may one of the smartest men in Washington who stands out as an adult in a roomful of children. He is a young man with an attractive family who is proving that old fashion conservative values are a better choice for America. He has never wavered in his belief in America’s most fundamental principle: our rights come from God and nature, not the government.

Paul Ryan has engaged the president with a new candor that Republicans have been yearning for. Democrats may shout for joy as a TV ad shows Ryan throwing Granny over a cliff, but this time, it won’t work. Ryan is a principled man who tells the truth. Obama and his thug tactics will be found out for what they really are — deliberate attempts to deceive the American people. This is a fight worth fighting.

Munroe is chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party.