Only Waxing: Real Time With Bill Maher- The Paul Ryan Budget

Source:Only Waxing– Elliot Spitzer on Real Time With Bill Maher.

Source:The Daily Times 

“Andrew Sullivan Schools Maher and Spitzer on Paul Ryan and Budget. Very surprising.”

From Only Waxing

What Representative Paul Ryan (Chairman of the Budget Committee) tried to do in the last Congress and so far in this Congress, was an attempt at least on paper to balance the Federal budget. But by only concentrating on around 15-20% of the Federal budget.

And most of those cuts coming from non-Social Security and Medicare social-insurance programs. And if you saw Bill Maher in this video someone who I normally disagree with layout, Chairman Ryan attempts to balance the budget by going after the small appetizers or side dishes. Imagine a meal consisting of steak, mashed potatoes and lets say a caesar salad (good meal, right) instead of targeting the meat of the meal or even the potatoes the stuff that fills people up in the meal normally. What Chairman Ryan goes after a couple of leafs in the meal. “Big meal with too much food, we are going to take away a couple of leafs and call it fat reduction instead of deficit reduction.”

The meat and potatoes in the United States Government’s budget is defense, Social Security, Medicare and to a certain extent Medicaid. And then there are a bunch of public assistance programs of around 30 trillion-dollars or so that aids workers who do not make enough money, or are unemployed. Which is why I believe Paul Ryan and his followers are as interested in deficit reduction, as the typical career politician (lets say House or Senate) is interested in raising taxes or cutting Social Security during an election year when they are up for reelection, or getting a real job and earning their money. In others words: not at all.

If House Republicans were serious about deficit reduction, then they would write and pass a plan that solves the problem by going at the meat of the Federal budget. And not just picking away at salad leaves in it. Chairman Ryan is right I believe about the seriousness of the debt and deficit, but is not ready to solve the problems.

If I’m starving and its late at night and I haven’t had anything to eat all day, I don’t snack on a couple of crackers thinking my hunger will go away. I make myself a meal or buy one. The same thing with deficit reduction, that if you are serious about the budget you go where the meat is. Or in this case the money and you cut back in areas where you can afford to save money. That will help you solve the problem.

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Thom Hartmann: ‘Paul Ryan: Social Security Means Test’

Source:Thom Hartmann– Pumping Up Social Security, with Paul Ryan.

“Thom Hartmann looks at the potential effects of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) on U.S. Social Security. If you liked this clip of The Thom Hartmann Program, please do us a big favor and share it with your friends… and hit that “like” button!”

From Thom Hartmann

It’s not everyday, week, month, year, perhaps I could go farther (but I’ll spare you for now) that you see a politician or in this case politicians and (let’s use the House GOP as an example) especially in Washington where you see politicians put their neck on the line (in this case political careers) for a vote because they thought it was the right thing to do.

But thats exactly what the House GOP did back in April, by voting to reform Medicare by turning it into a voucher system where seniors would be forced to get their health insurance somewhere else. Because they would eliminate the health insurance part of Medicare. Leaving Senior Citizens with less choice in where they get their health insurance.

It’s really that simple and Congressional Democrats both in the House and Senate have been making the House GOP pay for it ever since especially at House GOP town halls, where these GOP Reps have been getting hit hard because of their vote for the Paul Ryan Medicare plan. They’ve gotten hit so hard by it, that now Speaker Boehner has taken the Ryan plan off the table as far as reforming Medicare and paying down the Federal deficit and debt.

It’s a damn shame for the House GOP because they had all the momentum going into 112th Congress and for about three months were controlling the agenda. Despite the fact that democrats still control the Senate and White House.

On fiscal policy the House GOP has gotten a lot of their budget cuts through and will probably get more. Senate Democrats were unsure on how to deal with the House GOP. The Senate GOP Leadership were just playing off the House GOP and letting them control the ball and backing what they do.

But I’m not sure Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell believes thats a great idea anymore. And they’ve started to offer their own legislation to counter Senate Democrats. But with the vote on the Ryan Medicare plan passing with almost all GOP votes in the House.

And with how unpopular with a consensus of Americans disapproving of the plan, the House Democratic Leadership will try to use it almost exclusively to win back control of the House in 2012. They think they can take this issue to the bank.

And the Senate Democratic Leadership will force the Senate GOP to take a stand on the Ryan plan one way or the other by forcing votes on it because they are still in control in the Senate.

The Ryan Medicare plan is an example of what can happen when you wish for something too much, because you can get it and get more than you bargained for.

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American Enterprise Institute: U.S. Representative Paul Ryan- ‘How the GOP budget differs from President Obama’s’

Source:AEI– U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (Republican, Wisconsin) speaking to the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, about the Federal budget.

“The House Budget Committee chairman argues that Obama’s budget proposal will send America spiraling into debt at an even faster rate. The GOP budget, Paul Ryan describes, is “very different.”

From AEI

Democratic Representatives Anthony Weiner and Tim Ryan (from Ohio)  were on the House floor Wednesday night after the House conducted its last vote in the Defense Authorization bill, talking about the House GOP plan to reform Medicare, that Speaker Boehner has now decided is off the table on Medicare reform.

Congressional Democrats as well as the White House will keep the so-called Ryan plan on the table on the campaign trail. And we’ve already seen success with with New York House election Tuesday night. Bad week to be a Republican, but that might be a different story.

Representatives Anthony Weiner and Tim Ryan were saying that the GOP vision of Medicare reform would be to essentially eliminate it. I would amend that and say they would eliminate Medicare and replace it with something else. They have their own plan to provide assistance for senior citizens to get health insurance.

The House GOP  would eliminate Medicare and replace it with a voucher system that would still be financed by the payroll tax. And then seniors would get vouchers to go get their own health insurance in the private sector.

I hate, let me rephrase, I’m against any health care reform plan that cuts back on choice in where people can get their Health Care and how they pay for it. Whether it’s through health insurance or a health savings account. Just as long as they pay for it. Which is why I’m against single-payer health insurance and Medicare for all in America. I believe in competition and freedom of choice: in other words, capitalism.

I’m also against he House GOP Medicare plan that eliminates Medicare. I love the idea of non-profit health insurance, coming from both the private and public sectors. Which is why I supported the public option in the Health care reform debate of 2009-10. Just as long as its parts of and overall package that people can decide for themselves where they get their health insurance .

My idea of Medicare reform would be to give it autonomy from the Federal Government, while it would still be a non-profit health insurance service, so both parties in Congress can no longer mess with it. As well as the Administration and charge high-earners more as far as the payroll tax and their premiums.

Then we would no longer have to deal with ridiculous legislation from both the Far-Right and Far-Left, by letting Medicare run itself. Fix the financing of Medicare and let it continue to do what it does so well. Without Congress and the Administration messing with it.

You can also see this post at The New Democrat, on WordPress.

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