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MindMover

(5,016 posts)
Sun May 20, 2012, 02:32 PM May 2012

Paul Ryan claims his budget ‘preempts austerity’

House Budget Commitee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) says that his plan to slash government spending on programs for the poor while increasing defense spending and giving tax cuts to the wealthy would actually “prevent austerity.”

NBC’s David Gregory on Sunday pointed out that the debate over whether slashing budgets would grow the economy was not just happening in Europe, but in the U.S. as well.

“This question of austerity in Europe, they had failing economies, nearly depressed economies,” Gregory told Ryan. “The answer throughout the region was to slash their budgets. Has it failed?”

“No, David,” Ryan replied. “I would say they’ve also raised taxes. This is a cautionary tale of what happens when politicians who make a lot of empty promises end up running out of the ability to borrow money at cheap rates and now they are broken promises. It’s a cautionary tale of what will happen to us if we stay on the path we are on.”

“What we’re saying is let’s get on growth and prevent austerity,” he continued. “The whole premise of our budget is to preempt austerity by getting our borrowing under control, having tax reform for economic growth and preventing Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid from going bankrupt. That preempts austerity.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/20/paul-ryan-claims-his-budget-preempts-austerity/

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Make7

(8,543 posts)
3. One has to wonder if he knows he is full of shit...
Sun May 20, 2012, 02:51 PM
May 2012

... and just says this stuff because that's his function, or does he really think he is putting forth actual workable ideas?
[div style="width:100%; height:1.31em; border-bottom: solid 1px #bfbfbf;"]
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary campaign contributions depends on his not understanding it."
Upton Sinclair

Cosmocat

(14,564 posts)
8. half and half
Sun May 20, 2012, 04:06 PM
May 2012

he knows he is being propped up, but like 99% of the republicans he has repeated their nonsense enough to actually believe it.

 

Scuba

(53,475 posts)
4. Here's all you need to know about Paul 'grandma killer' Ryan...
Sun May 20, 2012, 02:55 PM
May 2012
http://www.robzerban.com


Rob is running against Ryan in Wisconsin District 1.

eppur_se_muova

(36,262 posts)
6. Making ourselves poor now so we don't have to make ourselves poor later ?
Sun May 20, 2012, 03:21 PM
May 2012

That's good, solid, reasoning there.

Proud Liberal Dem

(24,412 posts)
14. Gotta start getting people conditioned
Sun May 20, 2012, 08:44 PM
May 2012

to accept an even lower station of existence and subservience to the holy "job creators"?

CTyankee

(63,912 posts)
7. Too late, Paul. The public has figured this thing out. Europe's example is being noticed
Sun May 20, 2012, 03:24 PM
May 2012

here (and you thought it wouldn't,you idiot!). I will bet money that the Dems have been out there focus-grouping "austerity" and finding that the public is not buying it.

This is a good turn of events! To paraphrase Ross Perot "The American public has turned up its Miracle Ear!"

socialist_n_TN

(11,481 posts)
12. Well it's obvious what the solution is for Ryan, et. al..............
Sun May 20, 2012, 07:09 PM
May 2012

Do it, but just don't CALL it austerity. That goes for the Dem apologists for the 1% too.

CTyankee

(63,912 posts)
13. Not sure most Americans know the word "austerity" as much as knows what it means.
Sun May 20, 2012, 07:46 PM
May 2012

My guess is that focus groups used other words, words that were more descriptive of what austerity means, such as cutbacks on government services for people. Most Americans know what that means, esp. when pitted against "tax cut for the very rich."

and-justice-for-all

(14,765 posts)
9. Europe has demonstrated that austerity does not work...
Sun May 20, 2012, 04:19 PM
May 2012

so why the fuck would anyone else want to attempt it?? There actually needs to be more spending, not less, and by putting people to work in the public sector not the private sector is the key.

protect our future

(1,156 posts)
10. Dems and friendly media people
Sun May 20, 2012, 04:30 PM
May 2012

need to begin using the word "austerity" more often when speaking of the situation here. In Greece and Europe its austerity. In the US it's spending cuts, slashing the budget, reforming entitlements, blah blah blah. Voters don't realize we are traveling the same road as Greece and Europe until we start using the correct term: austerity. Austerity here; austerity there. Hopefully a wake-up call for low info voters.

Bake

(21,977 posts)
15. Ryan could't give a straight answer.
Mon May 21, 2012, 12:59 PM
May 2012

All he could do, like any Thug, was point fingers at the Democrats.

He's a smug, lying bastard. Just like his boy Mittens. Just like his idol Ayn Rand.

Bake

JoePhilly

(27,787 posts)
17. Norquist was one MSNBC with Alex Wagner and said the exact same thing ... almost exact same words.
Mon May 21, 2012, 01:25 PM
May 2012

"We're going to prevent austerity by slashing all spending."

Apparently, words no longer have defined meanings.

ryan waller

(6 posts)
18. As long as you stay on message
Mon May 21, 2012, 01:59 PM
May 2012

the GOP doesn't care if you make no sense.

"Obama bad hurt america 9/11! 9/11! save military no taxes."

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