What's in the water in Wisconsin? Or is it in their cheese? Wisconsin has in the past given us the infamous Senator Joe McCarthy of the 1950s, and the presently infamous Governor Scott Walker (soon to be recalled from office) and now we have Congressman Paul Ryan, all from Wisconsin, all Republicans, all with radical ideas, all from modest family and educational backgrounds and all with no empathy for the other guy, or deserving and needy Americans in other states. Is there something rotten in Wisconsin?
Today, I read with some dismay the so called " Ryan Budget Plan" dubbed by the Congressman from Wisconsin as the "Path to Prosperity". It would be more accurately termed the "Path to Greater Prosperity for the Prosperous". In this plan, Mr. Ryan attempts to reduce the federal deficit and balance the budget by spending cuts alone--no tax increases--but he focuses those cuts not equally across the board but mostly on those who can least afford it---the poor, the unemployed, the elderly, the sick, and middle class. He does this while he protects the wealthy, the "one percenters" the corporatists, bankers, financiers and Wall Streeters with reduced taxes, favorable actions and wide open tax loopholes. The plan, though it claims to "protect the safety-net for future generations" instead it guts the meager social safety network we have in this nation (the most paltry, and least inclusive of all western industrial nations) to cut the deficit, but on the other hand raises government spending for the Pentagon and for so-called "defense spending" which is just another form of welfare for the rich and powerful.
What are the major points?
In an attempt to decrease the deficit and "grow" the economy Ryan, using discredited voodoo economic theory from the Reagan Era, would drastically cut back non-defense discretionary spending to the levels we had in this nation in the 1950s when our population was less than half of what it is now. Ryan's plan would cut expenditures to the bone in effect shutting down the FBI, all national parks, farm programs, air traffic control, medical research, Pell Grants, and food inspections.
But the main target of Ryan's plan is to end Medicare as we know it. He would push the sick and elderly off the proverbial cliff by replacing the present system, which is almost universally applauded by recipients, with a privatized "voucher system" which would hand out stipends to elderly to use for individual purchase of medical insurance plans on the open market. It would be a great boon to the giant health insurance companies. Of course, Ryan does not envision provisions to protect the elderly from the harsh unethical practices of the health insurance giants such as those protections which are incorporated in the Obama Affordable Health Care Act. Any protection that act would have provided would not be available to citizens under Ryan's proposal since Congressman Ryan would have had that beneficial act repealed. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that under such a voucher plan, a senior's medical expenses would quickly exceed the value of their set-value stipends. They estimate that by 2022, the typical senior would receive aid for only one-third of his or her medical expenses and the other two-thirds would have to be paid for out of pocket. But for those who did not have the financial wherewithal for these outlays for medical treatment would have to simply succumb to disease. Because Ryan also proposes to gut Medicaid, the last resort for the sick and needy. These Republican Wisconsinites don't seem to care about the sick and elderly.
Medicaid, the last resort for the poor and needy, would be eliminated and turned over to the states to administer as they saw fit. The so-called "block grants" to the states would have no strings attached. They would permit the state legislatures to decide how to spend the money. Yes the very same state representatives which are today requiring women to submit to unnecessary and invasive transvaginal sonograms prior to medically necessary abortion would be in charge and decide how that federal money was spent and who gets what kind of treatment. Think of that, those of you who decry the Obama Affordable Care Act, claiming: you want to: "keep government out of my personal medical decisions," and "keep my own doctor". Under Ryan's budget you will have the whole state legislature peering under your hospital gown to decide if and what medical treatment you might need.
Finally, the Ryan Budget plan ignores the elephant in the room, the giant, bloated defense budget which rather than taking a much-needed budget hair-cut has its funds actually increased under this plan.
Then too, there is no provision to raise revenue by increasing taxes on the super wealthy...who have as a result of the Bush Tax cuts and other factors accumulated and sequestered enormous wealth in the last several decades.
But perhaps that is the problem, money talks. The super wealthy, the financiers, the military-industrial complex all have bigger pockets a bigger voice than the People! They use that financial clout to support and advance their goals by supporting radicals from Wisconsin who do their bidding in Congress and the Senate.
Get the picture?
rjk
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