The GOP, which spent the George W. Bush years, and the American people’s hard-earned money, turning a Clinton budget surplus into a monstrous deficit, has spent the past year complaining about Democrats “mortgaging our children’s future.” Their “GOP Pledge To America” is chock-full of promises about reducing the deficit. So, what are the first items the GOP is trying to jam down the American people’s throats?
1. Extending the Bush tax cuts for ALL Americans, even the wealthiest two percent of Americans.
2. Repealing the Affordable Care Act, the health care law that will reduce the deficit by $140 billion dollars.
3. Increase military spending.
Obviously, ALL of these moves will dramatically increase the deficit!
And who is responsible? anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion, anti-ENDA, anti-hate crimes law, anti-civil rights, anti-affirmative-action Mitch McConnell, who said his number one goal is not what “The America People” want, but what HE wants: remove Obama from the White House. How’s THAT for patriotism during war time?
Via Igor Volsky:
“According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), repealing the entire health care bill would add $140 billion deficit and it would also reverse the course of health care spending. Similarly, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) estimates that Medicare spending will decline $86.4 billion from previous projections due to reforms — meaning that it will increase if reform is repealed repealed.
“Significantly, the GOP’s ‘replacement proposals’ likely won’t do enough to reverse this trend. The CBO has estimated that the GOP’s health plan in the House — presented by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) as an alternative to the health care bill — would increase the number of uninsured to 52 million in 2019 and reduce the deficit by only $68 billion over the 2010–2019 period.”
There are other items the GOP is planning, like blocking repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” on which the military spends millions recruiting, training, then investigating, and discharging good servicemembers.
None of this should come as any surprise.
During the campaigns this year, not a single Republican could state how they would reduce the deficit. None could name one program they would cut.
Because, aside from crazy concepts like eliminating the Department of Education (brilliant!) they have NO NEW IDEAS.
Via today’s Wall Street Journal:
With control of the House, Republicans will have to offer and try to pass a budget of their own next year. That offers a test of their spending-cut resolve. This is going to be interesting.
Face it. We are screwed.