Ryan's Second Budget Swing - Strike Two

Mr. Ryan is trying something that is generaly a compulsive response given his conservative economic views. There is much to be admired by a politician who actually tries to formulate a policy, like his budget proposal, consistent with his beliefs. But the admiration must be diluted since he is creating his budget based on beliefs of how he wants things to work, rather than based on knowledge or informed principles that would directly address the issue and problems that the country is facing. For example, his proposal to cut spending on Medicare is a common simple-minded solution to a long-standing problem that less inspired politicians have been equally able to propose in the past.

But why go with such a simple solution: cut funding so that you will spend less? Isn't this the type of solution that we would expect from those who understand rules like - do the opposite and the opposite will happen. Where is the inspired, innovative ideal(s) that lead to a solution that lessens the costs, improves the benefits, and demonstrates that America's problems can be solved by applying intelligence, insight and informed decision making to such issues.

Now Ryan appears to be intent upon helping America; so if he can't see beyond the trival any more than all the other political hacks, Republican or Democrat, Ryan should seek counsel from people who can explain how to solve the Medicare problem thorugh a forward-looking, reasoned approach. It may be a problem that has been around for a long time, and Congresses past and present may have consistently failed to come even marginally close to seeing an easy solution, but that they failed in no way indicates that it is hard to solve or that there is no solution. It shows only that our politicians are particularly bad at comprehending the problem or the solution.

Give it another try, it is not a difficult problem to solve; and best of all you won't have to cut the program to ill-effect, it will reduce it's own budget by delivering more for less. That should be a sufficient hint, I think.