Paul Krugman is an economist who knows how to look at economic numbers. He writes in today's New York Times about what happens when you look at the numbers in the Paul Ryan budget--the budget virtually every Republicon voted for in the last Congress.
First you cut taxes to the tune of $4.3 trillion (that's with a T).
These tax cuts are for the rich, of course.
Then you try make up that $4.3 TRILLION with spending cuts.
Now where do you find $4.3 TRILLION in spending cuts?
Mr. Ryan refuses to divulge. (Like President Nixon's infamous plan to end the war in Vietnam, he's not saying.) It's a secret.
He does say, with a sly wink, there's lots of money to be saved by cutting Medicaid--which is for poor people, for whom nobody except some touchy feely soft hearted soft headed Democrat has any sympathy.
That saves $800 Billion. (Remember, a trillion is a thousand billion.) And then there's Medicare, which he'd kill altogether, except for coupon care. That's another $800 billion.
Still not there, are we?
Oh, then there's food stamps, aid to college students, and all told the stuff he has gotten specific about comes to $1.7 trillion.
But 4.3-1.7 =2.6, so we've still got to find $2.6 Trillion in spending cuts.
So then there's Social Security.
This is what Republicons call "fiscal responsibility" and "cutting the deficit."
Remember Reagan? He was a big deficit hawk who tripled the deficit over his 8 years in office. Can you imagine what Ryan/Romney and the Republicon artists would do? Their deficit cutting plan so far has added $2.6 to the deficit. But it has cut taxes for the job creators, the upper 1%, the billionaires, so it must be all right.
Krugman points out Ryan/Romney are now attacking President Obama on the same Medicare cuts which Ryan had in his own budget.
And this is from the most "serious" man, the biggest policy wonk in the Republicon Party.
Now there's a confidence, man.
I read the same article by Krugman-try explaining this to Tea Party supporters or just your garden variety Independent -they'd assume you'd have to have your numbers wrong. Republicans save money and Democrats spend it--facts would only disrupt the tapes playing in their heads..
ReplyDeleteI also have to confess, like Gail Collins, I'm a bit obsessed with the Seamus story. Not because I am a dog owner and lover,which I am but because it says so much about Romney.The wind beaten Seamus saga as well as Mitt's inability to recall the hair cutting incident in high school illustrate one thing-Romney has the empathy of a gnat. Not that we need some sob sister as President-but the ability to even on a minute level imagine what your constituents are feeling would be nice...
I find myself agreeing with every one of your sentences.
ReplyDeleteWhat fascinates me is the problem of how to talk to the people with tapes running in their heads. I suspect the first thing to avoid is trying to appeal to sympathy of any sort. Most right wingers, i.e. Republican voters and leaners have none. So using words like empathy simply turns them off. Talking about Medicare, the poor, the disadvantage only gets them angry. They see themselves as victims and beneficiaries of government programs as welfare Queens, freeloaders, undeserving.
So I have decided to simply say, "Look, if Medicare disappears, you will be bankrupted the first time your parents are hospitalized with any serious illness. If the Republicans kill Social Security, you parents will move in with you."
That helps sometimes, but the fact is, a lot of the people I talk to here in New Hampshire already have their parents living with them.
--Mad Dog