Republican Budget

I was going to do an analysis of the Republican Budget here – go in depth as long as I could stand it, as I did with the health care bill a while back.

I can’t. Not because I’ve lost the skills, but because the highly touted plan isn’t there. There’s not enough there to analyze. There are a few numbers, but it’s mostly polemic and outline.

Let’s take, for example, the change to the tax code. The WHOLE of it is that the brackets will be consolidated, the top rate reduced to 25%, and loopholes will be closed. mmmmmkay.

There are currently six brackets: 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, and 35%. So right away I can see that individuals making more than 82,400 and families of more than $137,300 will get a reduction — the top three brackets will be reduced. I can INFER that they’ll be combined with the third bracket. If I let past statements of both Ryan and the GOP’s right wing AND the Heritage Foundation that blessed this budget lead me, I can also GUESS that the 10 and 15% brackets will be increased.

There is no there to tell me otherwise. All that’s there is that brackets will be consolidated and the top bracket will be 25%. One flat tax rate of 25% meets that as well as thinking the 10 and 15 remain or get cut themselves.

And while it claims loopholes will be closed, there’s no statement of what loopholes those might be.

Medicaid will be a block grant to be distributed to states, but the rules and the numbers or even the basis of calculation aren’t there. Medicare will be vouchers – sorry, subsidized payments – to plans that have minimum requirements, but what those requirements might be aren’t there.

We do know the size of the payments. $15,000 per year – in ten years, not adjusted. Now, I’m 51 and I’ve a wife with medical issues who’s a little younger. For $15,000 – $1,250 per month – I can get a plan with a $500 deductible, then it covers 90% of expenses. The deductible does not include the cost of my family’s medications; for what we have RIGHT NOW we’d spend $100 per month excluding my daughter’s needs. When I turn 55 (I’ve checked) the same plan will cost me $1500 per month. At 60 it’s $1,800 per month. Why? Because as we get older we need more medical care. Not all of us, but more of us and more frequently. Anyway, that $1250 per month will get me (if I’m 60) $1000 deductible 75% expenses covered. If you’re making $100,000 per year that’s nothing. If you’re getting a social security check of about $2000 per month, some months you do without – medicine, food, or shelter, pick two. By the way, even the Republican forecast is that current trend growth of healthcare will mean that in ten years that $1250 will be worth about $650 for health care measures. Go price what you can get for $650, and remember the social security/retirement income for most people is under $2000 per month — as low as $1000 per month.

And these are only some of the issues. The plan says the energy industry needs regulations removed AND the oilfields in protected areas need to be opened. No mention of any restrictions on those. Same for financial regulations — the bill passed last year is too onerous and needs to be repealed. Repeal of the Health Care bill is also a big priority — it gets four Special Mention pages in the plan.

Oh, and pass HR1 in its entirety AND the presidential finance commission’s plan in its entirety (except where HR1 or this bill go further).

There are no numbers. There’s enough rhetoric, however, to have a clear understanding of intent. Take everything on the Tea Party agenda except requiring proof of Christian faith for all rights and benefits. (More accurately, deny full rights to non-Christians.)

It’s not a budget proposal. It’s a reiteration of the Tea Party platform.

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