Friday, October 16, 2015

Dean Baker — Paul Ryan: Top Republican Budget Wonk, Wants to Shut Down Air Traffic Control System, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Every Other Non-Defense Portion of Government


US "emerging" into the Third World?
Ryan essentially proposed eliminating virtually all of the federal government by 2050 according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of his plan that was done under his direction. According to CBO's analysis (page 16), under his plan in 2050 government spending on the military, infrastructure, law enforcement, research, and all non-health forms of income support, would be 3.5 percent of GDP. This is roughly equal to current levels of military spending, a level that Ryan and other Republicans have indicated they want to maintain. The implication is that Ryan would shut down just about all other parts of the federal government.
It would be more informative to readers if the NYT told them what Ryan's "thinking and philosophy" is rather than devoting an article to praising him for having one.
Beat the Press
Paul Ryan: Top Republican Budget Wonk, Wants to Shut Down Air Traffic Control System, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Every Other Non-Defense Portion of Government
Dean Baker

3 comments:

mike norman said...

I talked about the dangers of Paul Ryan already, umpteen times.

Tom Hickey said...

Now it's looking like Ayn Rand fanboy could be more dangerous if he decides to move up in the leadership. The country barely survived Ayn Rand disciple Alan Greenspan. The Maestro NOT!

But PR wants to run for president in the future, and it depends on whether he sees the speakership as a step in that direction.

He might want to stand aside until the battle for control of the GOP is decided. He is an Establishment type and the crazies are in control now. That spells political trouble for whoever the leader is. The last thing Ryan wants is to damage his future prospects. so he may sit this one out.

Daniel said...

The curious thing about Ryan is the district he represents is not that Republican. It voted for Obama in '08, and barely voted for Romney even though their congressman was on the ticket. I think one of the reasons Ryan doesn't want the Speakership is the very real fear he could lose. Generally, speakers tend to hail from "safe" districts that aren't going to vote them out for any ideological purposes.