Don’t tell me there is no difference between the Democrats and Republicans, not according to this budget vote in which only 10 Republicans joined 181 Democrats voting against the bill. Yes, you are right, not a single Democrat voted to "rob poor to pay the rich."
Beauty may be in the eyes of the beholder, however, if anyone fails to see the beauty in the budget proposed by Paul Ryan, the poster boy of the Republican Party, the person must be blind, for it kills two birds with one stone.
At one side it makes the poor, poorer by cutting budgets that provide safety net to the poorest, on the other, it lowers taxes for the uper rich from a current top rate of 35 percent to 25 percent, making them even richer. Corporations would also enjoy the same reduction along with significant lowering of tax rates on profits earned overseas, paving the way for further transfer of jobs overseas.
Speaking in simple words, the Rayan budget does everything opposite to what should be done to remedy the ills that have befallen the nation. This is the trickle down philosophy of Reagan which was called voodoo economics by George H Bush.
Ryan plan would increase eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67 and destroy Medicaid as we know it. It would cut food stamps, and set a deadline for the recipients to find work and get off the subsistence, and while it does that it increases the defense budget allocation. How much do we really spend on food stamps? The total welfare programs as of 2010 was 11 percent of the U.S. budget, food stamps was just a part of that expense under the broad umbrella of welfare, where as military budget accounts for 54 percent of the federal funds. and this money is blown mostly outside the country while the inner cities are crumbling, infrastructures are falling apart.
Spending on Pell grants would be reduced re-targeting the students from low-income families who need the assistance most. And with all these draconian measures, what are we going to achieve? The Ryan proposal slashes federal spending by only about $3.3 trillion more compared to Obama’s budget plan.
The leading GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney endorsed the Ryan plan calling it “a bold and exciting effort,” while for the other contender Rick Santorum, the draconian cuts did not go far enough!
The White House response came from the Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer: “The House budget once again fails the test of balance, fairness and shared responsibility. It would shower the wealthiest few Americans with an average tax cut of at least $150,000. The plan would cut spending on the major programs for the poor, including Medicaid and food stamps, while giving the states greater responsibility for their administration.”
Anyone interested to see the game the conservative Republicans are playing, may check this site for further details on the plan. If this budget does not open the eyes of the 99 percenters, if people still do not understand whom the Republicans serve, they never will.
First published on Technorati.
