Wrong Way Ryan

Senator Ron Johnson embarrasses me but Rep. Paul Ryan makes me want to pull the covers over my head and say, “I’m originally from Iowa, I’ve just been visiting in Wisconsin for the last 30 or 40 years.” What’s with the love affair Wisconsin congressional folk have with Ayn Rand? But then we have Tammy Baldwin. Is this state schizophrenic or what? But then I remember my Iowa roots when we kept electing H.R. Gross (Chuck Grassley’s predecessor and mentor) who had the most consistent voting in congress; he voted no on everything, literally everything; even his own raises; and at the same time we elected liberal legislators and governors.

The Washington Post reports that Ryan’s new budget or 10 year plan is the same plan the GOP put out last year except now it has $3.2 trillion in tax revenue. Of course in defunds our current health-care initiative, wipe out guaranteed Medicare coverage for future retires and make big reductions in funds for the poor, college students and federal workers. The tax hike is already in the works as projected by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office as a result of tax raises on income over $450,000.

Robert Reich points out that of Ryan’s projected savings of $4.6 trillion in 10 years (yeah, I know the numbers changed) fails to mention the repeal would also lower taxes on corporations and the wealthy. And, of course, there is the good ol vouchers that make money for the insurance industry et. al. If Obamacare would continue the top 1% would being paying more in Medicare taxes (about $52,000 on average) than last year which would help the middle and lower class Americans. So Ryan’s plan helps the rich again at the expense of the middle class. Ryan wants bigger tax cuts than even Romney proposed.

Ryan also runs out the old dog of “closing tax loopholes.” He conveniently fails mention what loopholes.

We just had an election, which was as much about the economic direction as it was about re-electing the President and some others. Ryan seems absolutely oblivious to all of this. Ryan claims that his party won the senior vote in the last election, which is true – 56% for Romney-Ryan vs. 44% to Obama-Biden; what he fails to add is that 53% of the exit poll seniors also said that they preferred Obama to Romney when it came to handling Medicare.

Nancy LeaMond, VP at AARP says, “Chairman Paul Ryan's proposed budget fails to address the high costs of health care and instead shifts costs onto seniors and future retirees.”

Egad all of this is confusing. But one thing remains absolutely obvious, Ryan and the GOP continue to support the wealthy over the middle and lower classes in this country. Ryan’s budget is simple in that it has two tax brackets: 10% and 25%, plus corporate taxes drop from 35% to 25% - but all this is supposed to bring in the same amount of revenue. Can we spell trickle down a new way?

Put the Ryan budget in the furnace and watch the black smoke come out the smokestack.  Go here to see charts of the tax plan.

Needs to go in the burner