If a casual observer were to watch President Barack Obama’s speech today to House Republicans, they might walk away thinking that the minority party hasn’t offered up any ideas to fix the problems that plague America.
But if that casual observer stuck around for the questions and answers, they would have seen an entirely different picture – a conservative party standing up to the President and making it clear that they do, indeed, have ideas but that their message has fallen on the President’s (and liberals’) deaf ears. The problem for the President is that the conservative message is resonating with America, as evidence by Scott Brown’s stunning electoral victory in Massachusetts’ Senate race.
On the subject of health care, the President said that he didn’t get “a lot of nibbles” when he attempted to work with Republicans on the issue. But bipartisanship is a two-way street, and as Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) made clear to the President, her party has offered a slew of ideas. The trouble is, liberal leadership isn’t listening.
As Rep. Blackburn said:
We have over 50 bills … we’ve got plans to lower cost, to change purchasing models, address medical liability, insurance accountability, chronic and preexisting conditions, and access to affordable care for those with those conditions, insurance portability, expanded access, but not doing it with creating more government, more bureaucracy and more cost for the American taxpayer …
And if those good ideas aren’t making it to you, maybe it’s the House Democrat leadership that is an impediment instead of a conduit.”
Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), too, confronted the President on bipartisanship when he recalled the President’s service with Rep. Roskam in the Illinois legislature. Roskam told the President (as seen in the video above):
You took on ethics reform. You took on some big things.
One of the keys was you rolled your sleeves up, you worked with the other party, and ultimately you were able to make the deal.
Now, here’s an observation.
Over the past year, in my view, that attribute hasn’t been in full bloom. And by that I mean, you’ve gotten the subtext of House Republicans that sincerely want to come and be a part of this national conversation toward solutions, but they’ve really been stiff-armed by Speaker Pelosi.
Now, I know you’re not in charge of that chamber, but there really is this dynamic of, frankly, being shut out.
And shut out, too, are the American people, who have been taking to Tea Parties, townhall meetings, and the Massachusetts ballot box in protest of a runaway liberal Congress that is steering the country in the wrong direction.
As much as the President would like to paint Republicans and conservatives as the party of “no,” his spin sounds quite hollow to an American public that sees the reality of their government through quite a different lens.
Our nation is on an unsustainable fiscal course. The three major entitlements – Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid – alone are set to eclipse historical tax levels by 2052 and a realistic assessment of the Congressional Budget Office baseline shows the government piling on an additional $13 trillion over the next ten years.
The time for pointing out the existence of a problem is over. Both Democrats and Republicans now agree entitlement reform must be a top priority. The question now is what exactly the inevitable reform will include. Specifically, does Congress drastically raise taxes and allow spending to skyrocket or do they maintain spending and revenue at historical levels?
This afternoon Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), along with several other House Republicans, held a press conference presenting the updated “Roadmap for America’s Future.” The bill, introduced today, would return the nation to a sustainable fiscal path without raising taxes. The proposal, which has been scored by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office accomplishes this by focusing on four specific areas for reform:
First, the Roadmap would give universal access to health care by providing a substantial tax credit to enable individuals to purchase their own insurance, allowing for the purchase of insurance across state lines and creating state-based high risk pools to provide those with pre-existing conditions affordable health care options.
Second, the bill would reform Medicare specifically focusing on preserving existing benefits for those over 55 and ensuring future generations of elderly citizens have access to affordable care. Fully funding Medical Savings Accounts for low income beneficiaries, and creating a Medicare payment of $11,000 to purchase Medicare approved plans would contain costs and ensure coverage for generations to come.
Third, the legislation would put Social Security spending on a sustainable course by offering citizens the choice to invest in personal retirement accounts comparable to the Thrift Savings Account used by federal employees. This in combination with slightly increasing the retirement age will finally set Social Security on a sustainable path.
Finally, the bill would reform the tax code by implementing a simple two tier tax system. Individuals with income up to $50,000 and households with income up $100,000 would pay 10 percent. Those with higher income would pay 25 percent. The Roadmap also eliminates the alternative minimum tax, the death tax and the corporate income tax. The corporate income tax, which is currently the second highest in the world, is replaced with an 8.5 percent business consumption tax.
These bold reforms mark an important departure from the Washington norm of ignoring the looming fiscal crisis. In the past politicians avoided entitlement reform in an effort to steer clear of a potential political backlash. Congressman Ryan’s Roadmap confronts entitlement reform head on and proves Congress does have the option to return the nation to a fiscally sustainable course without increasing taxes.