Ryan budget is reforming entitlement? No. Destroying it.
Entitlement reform? Forget it. In an era of rampant economic insecurity, Ryan鈥檚 destruction of Medicaid, food stamps, social security, and other safety nets would cause American families even greater hardship.
Entitlement reform? Forget it. In an era of rampant economic insecurity, Ryan鈥檚 destruction of Medicaid, food stamps, social security, and other safety nets would cause American families even greater hardship.
David Brooks in today鈥檚聽New York Times commits the standard error of pundits who want to appear neutral but know the Romney-Ryan plan would be a disaster for America. He asserts that Ryan makes a serious effort at entitlement reform. 鈥淚f you believe entitlement reform is essential for national solvency, then Romney-Ryan is the only train leaving the station.鈥�
Baloney. 聽聽
Ryan 鈥渞eforms鈥� Medicaid by destroying it 鈥� cutting the federal contribution by some $800 billion and then continuing the cuts after the first ten years until federal spending is a small fraction of what it is today, and handing it over to the states, which can鈥檛 possibly keep the program going. 聽
Ryan 鈥渞eforms鈥� food stamps by slashing them 鈥� reducing the federal contribution by around $125 billion and then, beyond the first decade, essentially ending the program altogether.
He 鈥渞eforms鈥� Medicare by substituting vouchers that can鈥檛 possibly keep up with the rising costs of health care.
Originally he wanted to 鈥渞eform鈥� Social Security by turning it into private savings accounts whose value would rise or fall at the whim of the Wall Street casino. (Now he doesn鈥檛 suggest any reform of Social Security. )
You want real entitlement reform? President Obama has begun it. Rational people would make sure he gets a second term to:
Use the government鈥檚 huge bargaining clout in Medicare and Medicaid to push down drug costs and the costs of medical providers, and to shift from a fee-for-services system to a payments-for-healthy-outcomes system.
Then allow anyone of any age to join Medicare so all Americans can get affordable health care.
Fold food stamps and other programs for the poor into a single enlarged Earned Income Tax Credit 聽鈥� a monthly cash grant that鈥檚 inversely related to income.
Save Social Security by eliminating the ceiling on income subject to it. (Now, income over $110,100 isn鈥檛 touched.)
These are real reforms. Ryan isn鈥檛 an entitlement reformer. He鈥檚 an entitlement destroyer. And in an era of rampant economic insecurity, Ryan鈥檚 destruction would cause American families even greater hardship.