At the same time Republican Rep. Paul Ryan is getting a valentine from the JS editorial board, Democrats in Congress are practically gleeful that the Janesville congressman is pushing his Roadmap for America’s Future 2.0.
Why?
Because it changes Social Security and Medicare benefits, and not in a way that most folks would find comforting. Let’s face it: Minority Leader John Boehner has distanced himself from Ryan’s plan, while Grover Norquist’s Club for Growth likes it. That should tell you all you need to know.
Here's how Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag explained Ryan's plan in a press conference:
Now, with regard to Representative Ryan -- I have a lot of respect for Mr. Ryan and I have read the plan that he put forward -- it is worthy to delve into that for a moment, because it provides a contrast. His plan succeeds in addressing our long-term fiscal problem, which is a significant accomplishment. But let's examine how he does that. He takes the Medicare program, and for those 55 and below turns it into a voucher program, so that individuals are on their own in the health care market. And the voucher does not keep pace with health care costs over time.
So it is not surprising that if you shift dramatically, both in terms of risk and expected cost, obligations from the federal government onto individuals, you can reduce the projected cost. He introduces individual accounts, privatization into Social Security. He has significant changes to the tax code that would provide large tax benefits to upper-income households, while shifting the burden onto middle and lower-income households. He eliminates the tax preference that currently exists for employer-sponsored insurance.
So it is worthy of pausing. He has put forward an interesting plan. There are many aspects of that that are worthy of further discussion and debate, but it is a dramatically different approach in which much more risk is loaded onto individuals and in which the Medicare program in particular is dramatically changed from its current structure.
Congressional Democrats are so positive that Ryan’s plan is a disaster for Republicans that they want to force them to vote on preserving Social Security.
Here’s the scoop from TPM.
Here’s the text of the resolution.
