This is Going to Be Good

House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc) told the AP today that the Republican House doesn't understand that you can not balance the budget for at least a decade unless you make serious cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. He said that the Republican majority believes that all you have to do is cut waste,fraud,NPR and foreign aid to get there. "That's not how it works,"Ryan said.

So next week Paul Ryan is going to unveil his plan to cut the entitlement programs. "It will be politically explosive," he said. According to Washington Monthly, Ryan believes that after explaining the financial situation that the rest of the House Republicans will follow his ideas. Outside commentators have observed that what Ryan is playing with is the Republican ability to maintain a majority in the House in 2012. Almost all national polls show that the American people want to cut defense first and entitlements last and social security none at all.

Mitch McConnell must be sensing this disaster because he is complaining about the lack of leadership by President Obama on this issue. A small group of Senators are trying to put together their own proposals on entitlement reform to block the deluge.One of the things observers have noticed is how President Obama has removed Social Security from any consideration of entitlement reform.

What you are seeing is Ryan walking in slow motion into a minefield. Since the Republicans have shown no willingness to actually deal with the deficit in any meaningful way it's totally naive to believe that after their education by Paul Ryan that light bulbs will go off and they will vote as a herd to cut the very things they promised they wouldn't touch.

Ryan's own Blueprint for the Future called for the privatization of Social Security and creating vouchers for Medicare. The CBO estimated that Ryan's plan would have created endless deficits for the foreseeable future and only has the possibility of balancing the budget in over 40 years. As I've written, the plan basically should be called Aircraft Carrier America because it guts the entire social safety net, education and leaves a massive defense, intelligence and terrorist establishment in tact.

Conservatives are e-mailing me about how the UK is cutting funding for the U.K. and how House Republicans are going to follow suit. I wish I understood unilateralism more. I don't know what planet these people are living on. Haven't they noticed that the days when we were the only super power and people listened to us ended a few years ago in infamy? They really believe the United States can do anything it wants to and that the United Nations doesn't fulfill any constructive function.

I think they should hang out more with the super-wealthy. Apparently, they need more understanding and support. The Wall Street Journal ran an op-ed based on the research material mentioned in the Atlantic. The wealthy lack high esteem, feel oppressed and under-appreciated by their spouses and family. They sort of envy the poor--at least they can live a life of integrity. Poor babies.

The Wisconsin 14 will be coming home tomorrow and particpating in a victory parade. That's an nice way of looking at it.