(The cartoon image above is by R.J. Matson in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.)Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) picked the perfect day to unveil his latest budget plan -- April Fool's Day. Because this budget plan is either a sick joke or an exercise in economic insanity. He takes the failed "trickle-down" policies of Reagan and Bush, and doubles down on them. His recipe for economic recovery is to take more from the poor, the unemployed, the elderly and children so more can be given to the rich and the corporations (the only ones in this society that don't need any help).
His plan starts out by reducing government revenues. He would lower the top tax rate for the rich and the corporations from 39.6% to 25%.
Then he would increase spending by nearly $500 billion over the next few years -- but only for defense spending. This may be the most insane part of his budget, since this country already spends nearly half of the entire world's military spending. If there is any part of the budget that needs to be cut instead of increased, it is the military spending part of the budget (most of which goes into corporate pockets).
How is he going to pay for this new largesse for the rich and corporations? By punishing everyone else. He would destroy the federal food stamp (SNAP) program altogether, by cutting it by another $125 billion and then dismantling it -- to be replaced by block grants to the states to run their own food programs. This means Republican states (like Texas) would be free to impose much harsher restrictions on who can get food aid, and millions more Americans would go hungry (including millions of children).
And his insane budget would do the same to Medicaid -- dismantling it and giving the states block grants to provide (or deny) medical care to their poor citizens as they see fit. But even that is not enough. Ryan's plan would repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) completely -- which would mean many millions of Americans could no longer afford medical insurance (because they would no longer receive government help to purchase that insurance).
Then he would complete the disaster by eliminating Medicare, and throw the elderly to the (non-existent) mercy of private insurance companies (who really don't want to have to insure the elderly). Ryan's budget would make our health care system even worse that it was before Obamacare.
Education wouldn't escape Ryan's budget axe either. All kinds of educational assistance would be cut. One of the largest cuts would come in Pell Grants (about $125 billion), which would mean millions of poor and working class Americans could no longer afford to go to college -- taking away the most effective ladder to success and self-improvement that these students have.
And don't think Social Security would be excluded from these draconian cuts. Although Ryan's budget doesn't specify any cuts for Social Security, it does call for billions in savings to "save" the program -- and since it doesn't increase revenues, those savings would have to come from benefit cuts.
If there was any doubt as to who the Republicans represent and who they don't care about, this new budget by Ryan removes that doubt. They care only for the rich and the corporations, and care nothing for any other Americans (especially those who were hurt by the recession brought on by these same failed GOP policies).
This budget will not be passed. There is no way it can pass the Senate (or be approved by the president). Ryan and his GOP cohorts think it will get them votes this November. But while it may please their teabagger base, I can't believe it will please most Americans. I think the Democrats should make this budget a centerpiece of their own campaign, and remind the voters repeatedly just how hard-hearted the GOP really is.
