House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) has proposed a budget for grown-ups.
Washington's big spenders have responded with the tired clichés we expect from defenders of big government:
"Pulling the rug out from under seniors," says Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
"Waging war on American workers," says Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA).
"A path to poverty for America's seniors and children," claims House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
"The tea party has hijacked the Republican caucus," says House Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
Pee Wee Herman could have delivered more creative comebacks. But adult conversations about serious issues are lacking in Washington, D.C. Ryan's plan should be rated at least R for Realism, while the dismissive comments are PG for Politically Guided.
Ryan's plan is a big deal. A very big deal. Its proposed $6.2 trillion of savings (compared to Obama's budget) over ten years is literally 100 times larger than the $61 billion that the GOP is trying to cut this year -- and that Democrats are fighting against ferociously.
Changing Medicare to a defined contribution plan is a good course to pursue, and of course a tough sell. But it makes a huge difference in controlling spending and reducing deficits. The same with revising Medicaid to give states flexibility to deliver care more efficiently -- yet with limited federal outlays.
As The Heritage Foundation's annual Index of Dependency notes, dependence on government is skyrocketing. Ryan's plan would address that.
Spending limitations, rollbacks and freezes. Repeal of Obamacare. Cutting corporate welfare (including farm subsidies) as well as overly generous giveaways to individuals. Structural reform for federal health care programs, which are the biggest runaway spending items. Ryan is serious in a way that few other politicians are.
But his "Path to Prosperity" is about economic growth, not just spending. Tax simplification is one aspect, and so is lowering corporate taxes so businesses are not pushed overseas by what is now the world's highest rate. A Heritage Foundation analysis finds this would create a million jobs a year for starters, and double that rate in short order.
It's not perfect. Our national defense needs are greater than Ryan projects. Social Security's problems are not addressed. And welfare reform should go beyond what he lays out.
But Ryan's proposal is good, tough stuff -- strong medicine that we need, not politically correct placebos that the plan's opponents are already peddling.
We live in a time when cute sound bites substitute for debate and false claims are used to justify inaction despite our fiscal crisis. While most of his critics carp without offering any alternatives, Ryan has delivered a needed challenge before we fall totally over the fiscal cliff.
Paul Ryan respects Americans -- especially taxpayers. He speaks to us like adults. For the rest of Washington, it's time to put away childish things.
Follow Ernest Istook on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Ernest_Istook
Capitalism is dead, and the future of humanity is a place where money is not the driving force of society
Cutting taxes for the rich only creates jobs in one sector, foreign banks, who help hide the money.
No wonder the TP can just repeat words the articles they read are so d0mbed down.
During the Clinton administration, taxes were raised and not only did the economy do very well, for the first time in anyone's memory the federal government operated at a surplus. During both the Reagan administration and the GWBush administration, taxes were cut with the result that the deficit ballooned and the economy eventually up tanking.
If Mr. Istook or Rep. Ryan wants to claim the title of "grown up," he needs to deal with the facts, not fantasy.
By the way, why does your Heritage Foundation rank the US in the top ten countries of the world for Economic Freedom? Your rhetoric would imply it is in the bottom ten.
I am so sick of this class warfare where it is tax breaks for the rich and "that's the breaks" for the rest of us. Apologists for the Kleptocracy make me sick.
You are not in that 2%, so why are you trying to defend them? You think it is a good idea that millionaire's get tax breaks and ordinary folks get tax increases and have the social safety net ripped out from underneath them? The rich are sticking it to the middle class and you approve?
Don't like the "nanny state"? Then we need to stop playing nanny to companies who drive themselves into the ditch.
Then you can talk about the hard choices American facing the middle class.
Capital gains should be indexed (adjusted for inflation).
Dividends should be taxed as ordinary income (currently 15%)
The Standard deduction is about half of what it ought to be.
Instead of 5 rates we should have a sliding scale for the tax rates up to $100 Million.
I would also give the same sliding scale to corporations.
Make these changes and the Deficit problem all but goes away.
Lift the cap on SS taxes
Cut defense by 50%
End all oil and farm subsidies
End corporate tax loopholes
Medicare for all
Abolish the DEA.