Praising Ryan
The Economist does:
"On April 5th Paul Ryan, the young chairman of the House Budget Committee, laid out a brave counter-proposal for next year’s budget and beyond (see article)—brave both in identifying the scope of the problem and in proposing the kind of deeply unpopular medicine that will be needed to cope with it. It is far from perfect; but it is the first sign of courage from someone with actual power over the budget.
"On April 5th Paul Ryan, the young chairman of the House Budget Committee, laid out a brave counter-proposal for next year’s budget and beyond (see article)—brave both in identifying the scope of the problem and in proposing the kind of deeply unpopular medicine that will be needed to cope with it. It is far from perfect; but it is the first sign of courage from someone with actual power over the budget.
Unlike Mr Obama, Mr Ryan puts fiscal responsibility at the centre of his plan: it aims to bring the budget into primary balance as early as 2015 and federal government spending down to below 20% of GDP in 2018. He also outlines a simplification of America’s mad tax code, bringing the top rate for both individuals and businesses down to 25% by eliminating loopholes. Above all, he aims at the core of the problem, the ever-rising cost of health care for the elderly."
I wonder whether Ryan thinks he's doing anything "brave." Everyone else seems to think so, but what's the worst that could happen to him--the loss of an election? It's not like he'd starve.
When I was a boy, back in the early '60s, I was eager to read JFK's "Profiles in Courage" and was greatly disappointed to find that the book was about politicians. I was expecting mighty warriors. I still can't get my head around the idea that politicians ever do anything that requires courage.
Reply to this