Wherever Republicans gather the mere mention of St. Ronnie Reagan is enough to bring an awed hush to the crown, followed by cheers and tears of adulation. Potential candidates face off with the claim, my Reagan ray gun is bigger than yours. All claim to represent exactly what St. Ronnie would do today. However, if there is one person who actually knows what course the near deified Reagan would take, it’s his former Budget Director, David Stockman.
As Washington considers ways to rein in the deficit, Republicans have obstinately demanded that any tax revenue increases be taken off the table, claiming that raising taxes during a down economy would doom the recovery. As evidence, they often point to the presidency of Ronald Reagan, claiming his massive 1981 tax cuts caused that decade’s economic boom. But this anti-tax position makes it almost impossible to do anything serious about the deficit, since — despite GOP talking points — the country has a revenue problem, not a spending problem. On ABC’s This Week today, Reagan’s own budget director, David Stockman, exposed the GOP tax cut “theology” for the ahistorical sham it is. Asked by Reuter’s Chrystia Freeland if the economy could “sustain” a tax increase, Stockman said “absolutely,” noting that the economy only recovered under Reagan once he raised taxes in 1982 after “cut[ting] taxes too much” the year before…
…Watch it:
Stockman also attacked Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget plan, noting it “does not cut one dime from the debt” in the next three years. Indeed, in addition to being draconian and regressive, Ryan’s budget fails to acomplish [sic] the only thing it sets out to do — solve the deficit… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
There it is. Judging it by the budget gospel according to St. Ronnie, the Ryan budget is the path to hell. That shows just how out of touch with reality the Republican party has become.
It is necessary to remove this threat to our nation before taking on the far less problematic Democrats.
8 Responses to “Budget Gospel According to St. Ronnie”
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As “Pope Jack”, I can assure you that “Ronnie” was NO SAINT! His insane economic policies are directly responsible for our massive debt, our trade imbalance, and our growing disparity in income. Reagan was, instead of a saint, an economic criminal, plutocrat, and tyrant of the worst possiblr kind to the mauority of Americans living today and struggling, in the aftermath of his reckless and failed economic policy!
Forgive me, your Holiness. I was speaking from the diabolical Republican perspective. Shall we expect a fatwa?
“…shows just how out of touch with reality the Republican party has become.”
It also shows that the republicans have no interest in solving the budget/deficit problems. They just want to transfer more money to their wealthy corporate overloads and let the people be damned.
Of course Jerry. What Republicans say they want to accomplish is never even remotely related to what they actually want to accomplish.
“does not cut one dime from the debt” in the next three years”
This should be the headline of every Democratic ad. The republicans are yelling and screaming about the deficit but their plan does nothing about it. How stupid do they think people are?
You’ve seen that here several times and will again.
We have a massive revenue problem and cutting taxes is not going to save that. We have no choice but to raise taxes on the rich. NO CHOICE. Someone has to pay and they are the only ones with any money after they decimated the middle class. So Pony up millionares and billionares – it’s your turn not. And get rid of AMT for people making $250K or less – that shit is just bullshit. 😡
Lisa, I fully agree.