Greer McVay’s Web Log (BLOG)

Volume 2, Issue 21

June 22, 2011

After a short, yet titillating foray into the pants of New York Congressman, Anthony Weiner, the Democratic Party is trying to refocus America’s attention on the Ryan budget plan and its potential detrimental impact. It’s a little challenging; however, to get back into that groove when the parade of Republic presidential nominees is vying for the brief amount of attention Americans are able to devote to anything. And frankly it’s more fun to bash Newt Gringrich’s many campaign staff desertions than it is to drill down on the numbers. But drill down we must.

Republicans insist the Paul Ryan-sponsored, Republican-backed budget, with the controversial Medicare-altering provisions was intended as a conversation starter. If it was simply intended as a point from which a national discussion could be launched then how do they account for the voting on this matter, particularly in the House of Representitives where Paul initially introduced his toxic pill?

Many pieces of legislation are never intended to actually see the ink from the nib of a presidential pen; however, it’s quite understandable that the authors would want to present their ideas in an arena that generates debate, negotiation and compromise. In this tradition, it is easily argued that a bill was introduced purely for the benefit of debate. A conversation starter if you will.

The problem with the Ryan bill is that it was clearly intended as the Republican’s grand plan as evidenced by the fact that they managed to hurry the bill through the legislative process without a single amendment sought, introduced or voted upon. Further, the overzealousness of the Republicans to get this legislation to the floor for a vote versus real debate speaks volumes about any alleged desire of the Republicans to make it a conversation-starting first step in what might normally take years of back and forth before any budget agreement that contains Medicare reforms would gain traction.

The problem is the Republicans keep lying to the American people. Their plans to dismantle Medicare and replace the entitlement (read: paid insurance benefit) with a voucher that is not viable given seniors’ propensity to aged ailments and Ben Gay bulk purchasing, is underscored by the fact that they would not allow any Democrats to chime in on the discussion.

By the way my Republican friends, “shamelessly demogouging” the issue and using scare tactics to railroad senior voters is what astroturfing organizations, and right wing “think tanks” did last summer when they threw down the gauntlet and started proclaiming death panels were going to kill grandma. That is where the shame exists. Making drastic cuts to Medicare benefits and other much-needed social programs has been brewing in the dark recesses of the collective republican psyche for 30 years and replacing one Republican with a Democrat in a single district of New York (NY 26^th) is not enough to reverse the damage they have already started in half the states across the union.

Americans must access information about the Republican agenda from entitlement annihilation to global-warming denying that manifests itself in record storms wiping out giant swaths of America while simultaneously eliminating the programs and funding that mitigate the negative impacts of doing so. Big oil subsidies, corporate welfare, a military industrial complex are all part and parcel of a bigger plan to drain this nation of its financial resources and labor force. The end game: lower wages and higher corporate profit. And never mind that Americans can no longer afford to purchase the products these corporations peddle. With a couple of billion new consumers in China and India, who needs Americans?

Read the bill: http://paulryan.house.gov/Legislation/Sponsored.htm