Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan has announced that he will not be seeking reelection this year and instead will be retiring at the end of his term. Ryan was facing a tough opponent, Randy Bryce, and that likely weighed heavily on his decision to quit. But Ryan also managed to successfully destroy the federal government on behalf of the wealthy elite, and that will always be his legacy, as Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains.

Farron Cousins is the executive editor of The Trial Lawyer magazine and a contributing writer at DeSmogBlog.com. He is the co-host / guest host for Ring of Fire Radio. His writings have appeared on Alternet, Truthout, and The Huffington Post. Farron received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida in 2005 and became a member of American MENSA in 2009. Follow him on Twitter @farronbalanced