61 Billion? Feh! Paul Ryan Wants To Cut 4 Trillion In Ten Years!

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Mon Apr 04, 2011 at 06:38:15 AM MST

It seems like a never ending story. We're on the brink of a government shut down, due to the complete and utter intransigence of the Republicans (you can't call it anything else when the Dems have caved and caved again and there is still no deal) to take anything but the completely arbitrary 61 billion in cuts and the riders that would defund EPA's control of greenhouse gasses (which Congress refused to make legislation on) and Heads Start and Planned Parenthood and public broadcasting (both NPR and PBS).

They insist, loudly and contrary to the facts, that this will improve our economy by reducing the deficit. When confronted with the fact that it this budget would cost between 200,000 and 1 million jobs, this year, Speaker Boehner (Spray Tan, OH) said "So be it".

Before this fight is even done the Republicans, in the form of Rep. Paul Ryan, are introducing their budget resolution. It would cut4 trillion ($4,000,000,000,000,000)in federal spending over the next 10 years.

Take a minute to think about that. We are talking about draconian cuts to programs that really help the middle class at an annualized rate of 100 billion this year (that is what the 61 billion the Republicans want to cut would be over a full year), and this guy wants to cut 400 billion a year in spending over the next 10 years.

Of course, this is the same Rep. Ryan who last year proposed a deficit reduction plan that was spread over 50 years and at the end of that time would not have balanced the budget. It is hard to understand how anyone can take someone like this seriously. I guess it comes down to the fact that he is the highest ranking Republican in budget matters so when he speaks, even if it is gibberish, it is news.  

He also, wants to "reform" the tax code. He talks about lowering rates and then boarding the tax base. As always the problem with this approach is that broadening means removing tax breaks. Most of the tax credits go to middle and lower income people who really need them. Lowering the overall rates means that the wealthy who don't need tax breaks pay even less. It is all part and parcel of the Republican strategy to shift the tax structure from wealth to work. The little guy pays more and the fat cats keep more.

At a time when we have record unemployment no one who does not talk about raising the tax rates on top earners and corporations can be serious about deficit reduction. Just ending the Bush era tax cuts would go a long way to balancing our budgets at this point. But that is not on the table as far a Republicans are concerned.

The other area we could save a ton is by going to single payer health care. The cost of the various plans and the profit for the administration of health care could be trimmed to zero by having a single payer system. We would be able to leverage the buy of an entire nation with drug and equipment manufacturers and cut out the needless duplication and misallocation of resources that competing for profit health care creates.

Further we'd be able to be sure that we were delivering the preventative care that is so much cheaper than the late stage care that many Americans, even those with insurance, get because of the cost.

Of course that is not going to be on the Republican menu either, since Rep. Ryan is also wants to change the ACA even though it is going to save approximately 300 billion in the next decade.

The Republicans may be serious about trying to cut programs that they don't like. They may be serious about continuing to comfort the comfortable and afflict the afflicted, they may be serious about keeping their farm subsidies (several members of the Tea Party get hundreds of thousands a year in subsidies for their "family farms") but they are in no way, shape or form serious about cutting the deficit. To treat them like they are is to miss the real point.

The floor is yours.