Funny thing: When the Republicans are in total control, we’re
told “it’s the will of the people” and the Democrats need to sit this one out.
But when the Democrats are in charge, like in the Senate and
White House, Republicans are saying to hell with the “will of the people.” The
Republican minority doesn't really care, and are instead, demanding we dramatically reduce safety net spending or else they’ll hold the countries debt limit hostage…again. As Think Progress put it:
...the GOP has shifted from demanding dollar-for-dollar immediate spending cuts and is now focusing on drafting a range of options to significantly restructure mandatory benefit programs.
The public favors the Democratic plans for our social safety
nets, yet Republicans are not giving up on targeting them for big cuts, as if those
reductions will be large enough to “save the country.”
In this amazing list below, it’s hard for me to imagine how
voters would allow such a ruthless policy to be taken seriously, when Republicans
are giving away the farm so to speak, to big business:
Think Progress: For a long-term deal, Obama would have to agree to premium support. The plan to privatize Medicare, perhaps the most controversial aspect of the Ryan budget, is the holy grail for conservatives who say major deficit-reduction can only be achieved by making this type of cut to mandatory spending. “If the president wants to go big, there’s a big idea,” said Rep. Steve Scalise, chairman of the Republican Study Committee.
For a medium-sized increase in the debt-limit, Republicans want Obama to agree to cut spending in the SNAP food stamp program, block-grant Medicaid, or tinker with chained CPI.
For a smaller increase, there is talk of means-testing Social Security, for example, or ending certain agricultural subsidies.
I will say it again; make Republican itemize in detail, every
cut they want to make, graded by the CBO.
Then we can talk to the American public about the choices.
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