Ryans Path to Prosperity: Easy Street for Some, Calamity for Most

The Republicans Bombs Not Bread Budget Supports Programs Designed for Killing rather Than Support for Programs Designed for Saving Lives The most expensive weapon system ever developed is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Its years behind schedule, 70 percent over its initial cost projection, and its life-cycle cost could be as high as $1.5 trillion. Its production has experienced substantial cost overruns. Contractor Lockheed Martin and engine maker Pratt & Whitney have realized billions in revenue and profit. Moreover, its unnecessary. In face of concerns over increasing debt and deficit, with an unnecessary, incredibly expensive system, and such a longstanding boondoggle, you would think Congress would act to curtail such programs. But Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and his peers are more concerned with repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and with watering down Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, and other programs that assist low-income and vulnerable Americans, the elderly and poor. The House, on March 21, passed Ryans newest Path to Prosperity. As last year, it exempts the Pentagon from spending cuts, effectively reversing the Defense Department sequestrations mandatory cuts and cutting non-defense programs substantially below sequestration levels. In doing so, republicans propose to cut the taxes of wealthy Americans and protect the profits of corporations like Lockheed and Whitney. Alternatively, the Senate on March 23 approved a Democratic budget for next year that embraces nearly $1 trillion in tax increases over the coming decade but shelters domestic programs targeted for cuts by House Republicans. Apparently, the Senate budget does not address defense spending. Ostensibly, Ryan and his fellow republicans would rather support programs designed for killing than to support programs designed for saving lives. That statement is not hyperbole. A study by the Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance found that uninsured, working-age Americans have a 40 percent higher risk of death

than their privately insured counterparts. There are 45,000 deaths a year associated with Americans who do not have health insurance. If the Republican Party is successful in repealing PPACA, it will mean that 46 million Americans will continue to be uninsured. Its important to keep in mind that Medicare is not free. Medicaid provides care for those who cannot afford their medical expenses. And, the Food Stamp Program/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is for people who are low-income, unemployed, elderly, disabled, or homeless so that they can buy food they need to maintain good health. But even if insured, they likely have enrolled in health insurance that is so basic that it doesnt cover their health needs at a cost they can afford. So when they get sick, the uninsured and the insured as well, frequently will not get the care they need in order to avoid medical expenses. Defense spending has always been a politicians sacred cow. That is why, evidently, Congress turned a deaf ear to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen when he stated that the Pentagon could help reduce the national debt and thereby increase U.S. security through cuts in defense spending. In 2011, just a few days prior to his retirement, Mullen specifically said, Ive said many times that I believe the single, biggest threat to our national security is our debt, so I also believe we have every responsibility to help eliminate that threat. At this point, it is uncertain how the two competing budgets will iron out. But there is a caveat: the 2014 elections put 20 Senate Democrat seats in jeopardy. If a majority of republicans gain those seats, certainty will prevail, and Americas less fortunate will need to brace themselves for the overwhelming impact of Ryans Path to Prosperity. Congressional republicans will uphold their indefensible support for wealthy Americans at the exclusion of everyone else. Defense spending will continue and the excessive cost of weapons systems like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program will prevail.