Politics

The GOP Plan: Middle Class & Seniors Lose; Millionaires, Billionaires, & Wall Street Win

By Speaker's Press Shop

Congressional Republicans, led by House Republican Leader John Boehner, continue to stand behind a plan proposed by Republican Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin that would eliminate Medicare, privatize and cut Social Security for America?s seniors, and give tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent.

Today?s Wall Street Journal outlines the Boehner/Ryan/GOP vision to:

Blow up the deficit – adding $700 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years to extend the Bush-era tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans

Congressman Ryan ??vehemently opposes any rollback of income tax cuts? [for the wealthiest 2 percent]

Privatize and cut Social Security for America?s seniors and turn Medicare into a voucher system – cutting benefits and jeopardizing the retirement security for American workers

Congressman Ryan believes that Social Security and Medicare ??need to be transformed with market forces and eased into the private sector.?

Americans don?t want to return to the exact same failed Bush policies:

A new Gallup poll released this morning confirmed that a majority of Americans (59 percent to 37 percent) said that they support ending Bush-era deficit-busting tax cuts for the wealthiest few ? tax cuts for the rich which would cost taxpayers $700 billion over the next 10 years.

In a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released earlier this week, 68 percent of Americans said they have reservations about or are uncomfortable with Social Security privatization ? and the cuts it would mean.

Is the GOP proposal really good for the middle class?

American workers, their families and small businesses are in this mess because of the Bush/Republican economic record of jobs losses and fiscal irresponsibility. Under the Bush-Republican years, more than 8 million jobs were lost, the national debt nearly doubled, $17.5 trillion in household wealth and retirement security was lost, and we suffered under the worst private sector jobs record of any Administration in 75 years.

Democrats are committed to providing tax breaks for America?s middle class and to protecting the Social Security and Medicare Americans have worked a lifetime to earn.

Full post as published by The Gavel on September 10, 2010 (boomark / email).