Scott Galupo

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Tea Party Not Serious About Entitlement Reform

October 18, 2011 RSS Feed Print

Via National Review's David French, here's a New York Times report on a 40,000-member Tea Party "commission" on reducing the federal budget deficit.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the Tea Party.]

Are you ready?

It's another joke:

The most popular idea, supported by 93 percent, was repealing what the site referred to as "Obamacare," the health care overhaul legislation passed in March 2010. After that, the most popular ideas were reducing duplicative purchases of Pentagon supplies (90 percent), eliminating the Department of Education and privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (81 percent each), and reducing discretionary spending to 2008 levels (76 percent).

When it comes to cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the report said visitors to the site were "more cautious," and "prefer reductions in peripheral elements," like tightening eligibility for Social Security disability payments and reducing subsidies to teaching hospitals.

French asks, in disbelief: "If our own core conservative activists aren't on board with serious entitlement reform, how can we expect politicians to transform the budget?"

[Read: Tea Party Budget Cuts $9 Trillion]

The answer of course is that you can't.

A more pertinent question would by, why are you surprised?

(Follow my serial ranting on this topic here, here, and here.)

At this point, anyone who's serious about budget reform needs to ignore the Tea Party. Just pretend it never existed. It can't help you. Its purported concern for budgetary balance was never more than tangentially connected to fiscal reality.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the budget and deficit.]

$1 trillion ... $14 trillion ... these are Numbers of the Beast. They're symbolic figures that represent, on a cosmic scale, another phase in America's "slouching towards Gomorrah." Since such massive debt is a reflection of sinfulness, it can't possibly have anything to do with programs that benefit the average Tea Partyer.

As I noted recently, the Tea Party was a cultural outburst. You're not going to get much help crunching numbers or poring over line items from a group that has essentially sacralized the budget. The Fall occurred when the 16th Amendment was added to the Constitution. (Or maybe the 17th.) Or when Woodrow Wilson was elected president. Or Franklin Roosevelt.

The rest is commentary.

Brad Bannon: Tea Party Chronicles
Vote: Has The Tea Party Taken Over the GOP?
See a collection of political cartoons on healthcare.

Tags:: Tea Party,; social security,; debt,; deficit and national debt

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Agency sues Kankakee over tax incentive programDON BABWIN, Associated PressThe Associated PressCHICAGO -- The agency that oversees mass transit in the Chicago area filed another lawsuit Friday against Kankakee, the latest volley in a legal battle over that city's effort to attract businesses with tax incentives that the Regional Transportation Authority contends are costing it tens of millions of dollars.In a news release, the RTA, which relies on sales taxes for funds, said it has filed a lawsuit in Cook County alleging that Kankakee is violating the state's open records law by refusing the RTA's requests for records of any agreements that Kankakee "has with companies engaging in these schemes."Kankakee's assistant city attorney said he had not yet seen the lawsuit but that the city has complied with the RTA's requests for information under the state's Freedom of Information Act."We have responded to every request under FOIA that they've sent us," said L. Patrick Power. "They may not like our answer, but we comply."Also, he said, after the RTA and the city of Chicago filed lawsuits against Kankakee and the tiny community of Channahon over tax incentive programs, Kankakee disclosed in court filings information about its own agreements with businesses.In those lawsuits, the RTA and Chicago alleged that the incentive programs are costing other government agencies money because they let companies avoid paying higher sales taxes by moving purchases through satellite offices in outlying communities where the sales tax rates are lower.Kankakee officials say their programs are perfectly legal. On Friday, Power said that if businesses are relocating from Chicago, it's because sales taxes there are far higher."They've driven every business out of the state, at least out of Cook County and Chicago, (and) because they've driven everybody away and gone somewhere else it's other people's fault," Power said.The RTA's effort to recoup what it says is a loss of tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue has also included a lawsuit against United Airlines. The RTA alleges the company falsely claims to buy jet fuel in the rural community of Sycamore to skirt millions of dollars in sales taxes. The agency also accuses American Airlines of setting up a similar "sham" office in Sycamore but has said it would wait until the airlines emerges from bankruptcy to file a lawsuit.Both airlines have defended their operations, with United saying it buys fuel in Sycamore and American saying it complies with state law.

justinfloyd of CO 12:42AM March 24, 2013

the ryan vouchercare plan fails to benefit seniors.it;s tilted towards futher enriching the insurance companies,bottom line.most seniors know this,and thats why a large majority of them oppose this boondoggle.

bruce b of NV 10:52AM October 20, 2011

Brucetee
Can't you read my comment and link ? Most you argued already answered there.
Vast majority of POLLS was against obamacare when conceived in Democrat controlled Congress and to this day. Bill full of PORK to get this TURKEY passed. Last minute executive order of no public funding for abortion to get the Democrat votes needed to pass.
1. “short comings of ryan's vouchercare plan and how a majority of senior's would get hosed with a whopping additional cost,because of what his plan fails to cover.that being said”
What are you talking about ? Read my quoted link again with comprehension. There will be few hospitals accepting medicare with $$$ 15 trillion less payments if still open. “Already two-thirds of hospitals were losing money on Medicare patients.”
2. “hey mr. bill,to recap,the repubs never had true healthcare plan,just a lot of cheap platitudes and generalities about how,some where,down the road it was something that needed to be dealt with.”
Ryan plan was used to prove you wrong. Article I used sure DOES.
3. “senior's would get hosed with a whopping additional cost,because of what his plan fails to cover”
Waiting for proof. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Try read article with comprehension again.
4. “that being said; it;s easy to understand why ,again a vast majority of middle age ,seniors and the a.a..r.p. oppose this boondoggle”
“aarp” has been under attack for their view on obamacare. Just so happens their type of plans are only ones allowed under obamacare. “aarp” for instance does not carry my type of plan. Mine will BE GOME IN FEW YEARS.
Ryan plan is not law of the land. No real need to go into that more. The scams in obamacare keep seeping out of the septic tank. Latest, buying rest home insurance and funds are used to prop up obamacare. Making that a unfunded. Stealing money from other entitlements as well. Plus throwing cost off on States unfunded after meager help. Private sector would have people going to jail for that.
5. “as i said waiting for a comprehhensive plan from the republicans, is like waiting for a train that will never reach the station”
obamacare is a 4 year wait & longer after passed. Little enforced NOW. Republicans like Ryan plan and Democrats like obamabacre. With no new polling who knows what polls now say about Ryan plan. For sure, obamacare on wrong end of polls still.
Once obamaare is pushed into the gutter, groundwork for our plan has been done. When obamacare only lives is your head, ours will be passed and working, no 4 year wait after passed. That's barry idea of help...

Bill Hedges of MO 4:13PM October 19, 2011

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Tea Party Not Serious About Entitlement Reform

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