The Party Of No Has A Plan

One of the big gripes from the Left about the Republican party is that they snipe from the sidelines but offer no plans of their own for addressing the problems faced by our nation. This meme hit a crescendo during the fight over healthcare reform, aided by a media establishment that quoted every ranking Democrat from the President on down calling Republicans the “party of no”. That Republicans offered up over thirty bills at one time or another addressinghealthcare was rarely mentioned.

This meme survives today as a salvo in the budget fight. Republicans are called out for politicking in publicly criticizing the President’s budget proposal without offering an alternative. Once again, it requires an error of omission to thrive. A Republican budget proposal that actually cuts the deficit exists.

Released two days before the unusual back-and-forth session between Obama and the GOP, the bill sponsored by Ryan and five other House members would seek to reduce the deficit and spur economic growth by cutting the tax rate on corporations, shifting future Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to private insurance plans, and both raising the retirement age gradually to 70 and reducing the growth of benefits to make Social Security solvent. Even Democrats have acknowledged that it is one of the few plans offered by a member of either party that would lower the long-term budget deficit.

The article’s headline makes it sound as though the President and Budget Director Pete Orzag are taking a look at the bill, but it’s only to rip it to shreds. Apparently, “belt tightening” and “tough choices” really are just soundbites for the gullible.

Now, there are elements to this proposal that are controversial. Raising the retirement age and reducing benefits would be a tough sell to many Americans, even if it makes Social Security solvent. Shifting people from Medicare and Medicaid to private insurance would certainly meet resistance. This proposal isn’t perfect and politically, it’s probably a non-starter. That said, these are the kind of “belt tightening” measures that should at least be discussed. Dismissing them out of hand would only serve to show that calls for bipartisanship are more window dressing.

Lowering the deficit can only be done by raising taxes or cutting spending or some mix of the two. I’m not a big fan of raising taxes in the best of times. It should be obvious to anyone that raising them sufficiently to lower the deficit during a recession is economic suicide. Spending needs to be cut. So far only one party in Washington is acting like it understands that, and it’s the party of no.