Conservative Economists Criticize 'Off The Deep End' Republican Budget

[ProSense]

Conservative Economists Criticize 'Off The Deep End' Republican Budget

Brian Beutler

Now that Republicans and Democrats have supposedly figured out how to fund the government through September, Congress' attention will turn to other issues, including the GOP's 10 year vision for the country: Paul Ryan's budget proposal, which includes Medicare privatization, severe cuts to Medicaid, and further tax breaks for the wealthy.

While the government teetered on the brink of a shutdown last week over short term funding, economists across the ideological spectrum weighed in on the GOP's long-term plan with negative reviews. The biggest shock came from high-profile economists with GOP leanings, who also criticized it on the merits.

"It doesn't address in any serious or courageous way the issue of the near and medium-term deficit," David Stockman told me in a Thursday phone interview. "I think the biggest problem is revenues. It is simply unrealistic to say that raising revenue isn't part of the solution. It's a measure of how far off the deep end Republicans have gone with this religious catechism about taxes."

Stockman, who directed Ronald Reagan's Office of Management and Budget, approves of Ryan's entitlement proposals, but breaks faith over taxes and the GOP's unwillingness to slash defense spending. And he laughs off the notion that the plan will do anything about unemployment, let alone dramatically reduce it, which Ryan and his plan claim it will. "This isn't 1980. It's not morning again in America. it's late afternoon, or possibly even sunset."

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[Telly Savalas]

1. When the brainchild of Reagan's fiscal policies

thinks you're not doing enough on the revenue side and are spending too much on defense, you know your proposal is from the Twilight Zone.

[Dawson Leery]

2. I posted this before an no one responded.

Being discontent with Obama is a truly stupid reason to not have voted last fall.