The Ryan Plan

Republican War on Poverty

In the 1960’s Democrats under the leadership of Lyndon Johnson declared a war on poverty, its goal being to remove poverty and its corrosive effects on American lives from society.  The war has been partially successful, and millions of Americans, particularly the elderly have been rescued from a life of suffering by government programs.

Now the Republican party has declared a war on poverty.  Except this is not a war to end or reduce poverty, it is a war on the poor, the sick, the elderly and those individuals who through no fault of their own do not enjoy the blessings of a prosperous society.  Their plan would devastate social programs.  And to what end?  To preserve current tax reductions for the wealthiest Americans and to reduce those taxes even further.

Reporting on the Republican Plan

What is truly remarkable is the seriousness with which the national media is reporting on the Ryan Plan.  If one reads the document, it is clear it is not a fiscal plan, but a political fantasy.  As Paul Krugman and others have pointed out, the economic assumptions and results are ludicrous, http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/  The document is a political document, and if its policy recommendations were implement the U. S. economy would tumble into recession and depression.

Social Security Recommendations

For those who complain that the Ryan Plan does not address Social Security, it does.  It requires the President to come up with a proposal.  He should do so, right after Romney, Palin, Pawlenty, et. al. come up with their plans.