The Path To Prosperity’s Credibility Gap

Paul Ryan and the Tea Party have branded themselves as budget hawks. I don’t have a problem with this, but Ryan’s record doesn’t match his rhetoric. Maybe he is a born again budget hawk. I’ll accept that. But he still needs to come clean with all of us about the disparity between his words and his deeds.

Need examples? Here is a partial list; During the Bush Administration he voted for two expensive wars that were never funded. In fact there was never a proper accounting for the war. It was never a budget item; it was handled with a “supplemental.” This means that the costs are added to the national debt, but never part of the normal budgeting process.

He voted for the prescription drug plan for seniors – again no funding whatsoever. Debt ceiling? Voted to raise it four times in five years totaling four trillion dollars – that’s trillion with a “T.”  Why, if budget be thy religion?

This Sunday on the program “Face The Nation” he was asked to respond to President Obama’s words mentioning these very facts. Ryan blew this opportunity like the “Mighty Casey at Bat.” Instead of just being straight with us he used a Palin-like ignore the question and redirect to something else. His response? “I could address these point by point, but I won’t” (Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!)

Paul Ryan is asking a lot of us everyday Americans. We are supposed to believe only he and the Republicans know the way through the dense forest that is the decades of deficit spending and our national debt.

This past week his budget plan passed by the House of Representatives. The title given this legislation is the “Path To Prosperity.” It is widely accepted fact that this legislation will never pass the Senate. Regardless, these ideas should be debated for everyone to see.

We should want to understand the rationale that by taking away from our seniors, we make their life better. That by giving four trillion dollars – again that’s trillion with a “T,” tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, we help the poor, elderly and disabled; that by eliminating Medicare, we are saving Medicare. By making the middle class bear nearly the entire burden of supporting our government with their tax money that somehow they are better off than before.

We should want to know why, when the United States spends 41 percent of the defense spending in the world (the nearest countries spend about 6 percent) that the Military is “hands-off” in this budget. (Imagine your neighbor puts up a fence that is six feet high, and you decide to put one up right next to it that is 41 feet high.)

Mr. Ryan has more to address than just his own budget plan. We need him to address his credibility gap. Now if you are a Republican, the hairs on the back of your neck are standing up right about now, but hear me out on this. Use your natural capacity to reason. I say this not to offend but to ask you to ponder the notion, why should we believe a man with this record? Shouldn’t he at least have to explain himself?

One more thing, where were all of you when Bush was defiling our tax money and budget? Maybe you need to explain something as well.