Today the news is buzzing with Paul Ryan and his budget. He is making waves of support and opposition with his suggestion to slash Medicare and Medicaid among other programs. His plan is to put a significant dent in the national debt. Just who is this Paul Ryan?
Biography
Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan is a seventh year veteran to the House of Representatives and the current Chairman of the House Budget Committee. He is also a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee which has jurisdiction over tax policy, Social Security, health care, and trade laws. He currently lives in Janesville, WI and has four children. Prior to representing Wisconsin he was a waiter, marketing consultant, economic analyst, worked for several Congressmen, and political candidates. He is famous for “A Roadmap for America’s Future” which he started work on in 2008. Check out http://thevotereffect.com for bios on any Congressman.
Path to Prosperity
Ryan’s 2012 budget proposal, also called the Path to Prosperity made big news this week with drastic cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Ryan’s not scared to blast entitlement programs in an effort to put America on the right budget path. He’s also not afraid of political aftermath which some Republicans. He believes that if opponents criticize their budget it will be skewed and unfounded. Here is the breakdown of his Path to Prosperity. Once you read it you can decide if you agree or disagree with his proposal.
· Bring government agency funding back down to 2008 levels and freeze spending at this level for 5 years. Included in this are agriculture subsidy reform, reducing the federal work force, and looking for inefficiencies at the Pentagon.
· Welfare reform that includes turning Medicaid back to the states, as well as food stamp reform that ensures that states will not receive incentives for adding to the rolls. Also, the Welfare Reform will promote finding a job at the end of the welfare benefits.
· Medicare reform in the form of block grants.
· Tax reform.
For the entire Path to Prosperity: http://paulryan.house.gov/UploadedFiles/PathToProsperityFY2012.pdf
Democrats came out strongly against the Path to Prosperity. The argued that it was much of the same rhetoric coming from the GOP since George W. Bush was in office. They argue that it is privatizing too much and taking us down the path of recession once again.
The GOP is split, but mostly feels that the proposal is on the table and that is more than what the Dems have at this point. Proponents of the Path to Prosperity are certain that it would skyrocket private sector jobs and generate spending by cutting taxes and stopping wasteful spending. Some republicans are also concerned about the effects that these harsh cuts could have on the upcoming election. Paul Ryan isn’t concerned with creating enemies. He believes he is doing the job he was sent to do.
Interestingly and important to point out is that the Path to Prosperity is a budget proposal for 2012. The government currently faces a shutdown this Friday, April 8th, if they cannot come to an agreement about the 2011 budget. Basically planning the 2012 budget is like putting the cart before the horse. They likely won’t be getting far with it anytime soon.
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