Government Shutdown

The current lack of agreement between House Republicans and Democrats on the budget could shut down the government and is definitely shutting down President Obama’s vacation time. In response to the Democrats proposed budget, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Paul Ryan, has proposed his own budget, which in the unlikely case that it would pass would slash the budget by four trillion dollars over a decade and overhaul Medicare with a voucher system. Ryan’s plan would involve people choosing an insurance provider and the government using the voucher to pay for part of their health insurance. His proposed budget also includes slashing the corporate tax down to 25% and defunding Obamacare. Its proposed further tax cuts are proving to be very controversial amongst many economists such as Paul Krugman who in today’s New York Times referred to the Ryan Budget as “voodoo economics, with an extra dose of fantasy, and a large helping of mean-spiritedness”.

Ryan is closely aligning himself with fiscal Conservatives and the Tea Party movement. Many congressman who rode into Washington on the coattails of Tea Party dissent have stated that they wouldn’t mind the government shutting down if the Democrats and Republicans can’t come to an agreement on the budget. Ryan’s proposed budget could be a sign that the Republicans are actually beginning to follow all their talk of fiscal conservatism and not simply just preaching it as part of the gospel of Conservatism during an election year.

–Coleman Shear