Paul Ryan's GOP Budget Fizzles

[lakhota]

Without Medicare Privatization, GOP Budget Won't Eliminate The Deficit

House Republican leaders see the political writing on the wall and won't be making a hard push for their plan to privatize Medicare.

That's a bitter pill to swallow for rank and file members who already voted for the GOP budget. Now the official position of the House of Representatives, it has won praise from conservatives -- and even many mainstream media figures -- for making "hard choices" to tackle long-term debt and deficit. But crucially, a huge chunk of the savings in the plan came from ... the now-withered plan to privatize Medicare -- to shift a significant portion of Medicare costs on to consumers.

It turns out that if you strike the Medicare plan from the GOP budget -- authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) -- it doesn't achieve fiscal balance anymore.

"It certainly blows a major hole in his plan," said Paul Van de Water, a health care and budget expert at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in a phone interview.

If you take Ryan at his word, and assume that the tax-side of his plan is revenue neutral -- a big "if" -- his plan balances the budget over decades entirely on the spending side of the government's ledger. Van de Water explains that if you take the Medicare privatization plan out of the equation, the budget sinks -- dragged down by higher spending, and then higher interest payments as a result of larger-than-projected deficits.

"That plus interest gets you into a range where you no longer balance the budget," Van de Water said.

That's not to say Ryan's plan would blow up the deficit. "Would it turn [it] into a disaster? Probably not because he was cutting so much elsewhere in his proposal. He has very deep cuts in Medicaid, he also has very, very deep reductions in the rest of the government as well."

Of course, eliminating deficits is supposedly Congress' entire raison d'être at this point. But if phasing out Medicare is off the table, and tax increases are off the table, that's just not going to happen.

tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/05/without-medicare-privatization-gop-budget-wont-eliminate-the-deficit.php?ref=fpb

[lakhota]

to shift a significant portion of Medicare costs on to consumers; deep cuts in Medicaid; phasing out Medicare

Jesus H. Christ, that makes me mad. Republicans raped, pillaged and plundered the U.S. Treasury, and now they want to RE-BALANCE the budget on the backs of those who can least afford it. As I've said several times before, it's all part of their evil plan to starve social programs (often referred to by them as "starving the beast").

"Starving the beast" is a fiscal-political strategy of some American conservatives to create or increase existing budget deficits via tax cuts to force future reductions in the size of government.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starve_the_beast

[lakhota]

THE PATH TO PROSPERITY my ass. More like THE ROAD TO RUIN.

Just how much money do rich people need, anyway?

[lakhota]

Here are some of the games Republicans are playing:

House Republicans seek IRS probe of AARP

WASHINGTON – AARP lobbied for the new health care law and now it stands to profit, Republican lawmakers charged Wednesday as they called for the IRS to investigate whether the powerful interest group representing older Americans should be stripped of its federal tax exemption.

More: news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110331/ap_on_re_us/us_aarp_probe

Democrats Fear GOP Probes Are Muzzling AARP In Medicare Fight

WASHINGTON -- In the battle over the Republican budget plan that passed the House Friday, Democratic insiders have been left wondering why the American Association of Retired Persons, the powerful lobby for older Americans and the defender of all things Medicare, has been largely sitting on the sidelines.

After all, the budget proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), if signed into law, would slash Medicare and convert it to a system of government subsidies for private insurance. AARP has put out a statement raising concerns about that plan and fired up an email campaign to oppose it, but several Democratic operatives said they had hoped the lobby would do much more.

For his part, AARP spokesman James Dau insisted the lobby was fully engaged, contacting every House member and generating 126,000 grassroots emails opposing the Ryan budget in just 48 hours. "AARP has been working at the national and grassroots levels fighting against threats to critical lifeline programs like Social Security and Medicare since the deficit debate began more than a year ago," Dau said.

But during the health reform debate, Democrats say, the AARP was a much more active participant, to the Democrats' political benefit. Now, insiders speculate that recent probes mounted by House Republicans may have cowed the influential group.

"It's sort of like doing the bare minimum," a Democratic aide said shortly before the vote on Ryan's budget. "Considering the House is about to pass a bill ending Medicare, you'd think they'd be setting their hair on fire."

"It's definitely surprising," a Democratic-leaning lobbyist said of AARP's minimal resistance.

Or maybe not.

Two House Ways and Means subcommittees recently put AARP in their crosshairs. First came a hearing on whether the lobby's support of President Barack Obama's signature health care law -- which, in providing a new subsidized customer base to private insurers, bears some key similarities to Ryan's plans for seniors -- had benefited its insurance business.

And last week, based on a report released at the hearing, the Health and Oversight subcommittees' leadership followed up with a letter to the Internal Revenue Service demanding that the advocacy group's tax-exempt status be investigated.

More: www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/15/democrats-fear-gop-probes-muzzle-aarp_n_849939.html

[cme1201]

So Lahkota What plan do you follow?

Do nothing and continue down the same failed path that has lead us to where we are today? You honestly believe that only the Republican's "raped, pillaged and plundered the U.S. Treasury" and now they want to RE-BALANCE the budget on the backs of those who can least afford it.

And can you show me where balancing Medicaid is on the backs of those who can least afford it? Those with money will be required to pay a larger portion for their care, those who cannot will still be subsidized making it easier for them to pay their premiums

[lakhota]

So Lahkota What plan do you follow?

Tax the rich. Return tax structure to Clinton days. Make George W. Bush and his family pay for Iraq war.

[cme1201]

Lakhota said: "Make George W. Bush and his family pay for Iraq war"

why just Bush, why not every politician that voted yes to start and to continue funding? Right for 10 years Bush has pulled all the strings without any Congressional oversight.

Blind loyalty to party or Blind hatred for one family, either way it's sad thats what you have.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

May 9, 2011 3:22:28 GMT -5 @lakhota said:

to shift a significant portion of Medicare costs on to consumers; deep cuts in Medicaid; phasing out Medicare

Jesus H. Christ, that makes me mad. Republicans raped, pillaged and plundered the U.S. Treasury, and now they want to RE-BALANCE the budget on the backs of those who can least afford it. As I've said several times before, it's all part of their evil plan to starve social programs (often referred to by them as "starving the beast").

"Starving the beast" is a fiscal-political strategy of some American conservatives to create or increase existing budget deficits via tax cuts to force future reductions in the size of government.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starve_the_beast

Um, it seems to me that ALL spending bills MUST originate in the House, and the only time we've had a balanced budget in my lifetime was when Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House.

Go 'head on..argue with me. Please. No Democrat Congress has EVER balanced a budget. Ever.

[lakhota]

Bush started TWO wars and cut taxes THREE times - all under a Republican-controlled Congress.

10 Republican Lies About the Bush Tax Cuts

crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/10-republican-lies-about-bush-tax-cuts

NOTE: On the Iraq war, Bush manufactured false evidence and lied to Congress and the American people to justify invading Iraq - which had nothing to do with 9/11.

[hello fromWarsaw]

Always a disaster- BUT great SALESMEN ;D!!