Morning Joe 4/6/2011 -- Budget melodrama

On Morning Joe there were basically 6 Democrats and one Republican debating Paul Ryan's budget plan. Harold Ford, Mike Barnicle, Jonathan Capehart, Tina Brown and Willie Geist and a Democrat congress person from Montana represented the Left's response, and poor old, battered and compromised Pat Buchanan represented the Right. I find this humorous at this point. The media are not hiding their bias anymore, and, in fact, they are parading their bias as the only viable position against the extreme positions on the Right. The Morning Joe crew tried to take an objective stance by disowning the Nancy Pelosi tactic of spreading fear about old people dying, but Tina Brown said basically the same thing, as did Ford and Capehart in a nicer way. Buchanan simply discussed the politics of the situation. They didn't have one person from the New Right to present their side.

The problems with Ryan's plan were presented as Republicans wanting to give tax breaks to rich bastards yet cut services for the powerless and vulnerable in society -- and the Republicans won't cut defense spending, they said. This is the same as Pelosi's stance, only the Morning Joe crew weren't so blunt, except Tina Brown. Ryan was on Morning Joe yesterday and addressed these issues, yet no one brought up Ryan's answers to these charges. I don't know what's the truth, but Ryan said his plan eliminates tax loopholes to bring in more revenue from wealthy corporations who escape paying taxes, but then it drops the rate to attract investment and inspire hiring. Ryan also said that defense spending cuts are in his plan. Ryan also said he worked with Democrat Alice Rivlin and incorporated some of the debt commission's ideas. Someone is lying, and I don't think it's Paul Ryan, because his plan can be read. Perhaps Ryan is spinning his plan and it really does just harm the poor and help the rich, but I doubt it.

Regardless, when Republicans attacked Obamacare, Democrats called Republicans the Party of No and accused them of not offering solutions. If the Democrats are serious, they will offer their budget plan for raising taxes and cutting defense spending. Capehart and Ford criticized Democrats for being so vicious right out of the gate, but in a less vicious way they framed Ryan's plan as extreme and not something that can pass if we care about social justice.

Despite all the problems with the Republican Party, right now the Democrats are the nation's biggest problem -- they want to raise taxes and spend even more money on government projects to stimulate the economy -- the other two stimulus plans failed. Democrats are stuck in a Keynesian, statist nightmare and calling it the American Dream. Republicans will be our next biggest problem if they don't support Ryan 100% and call for an end to all corporate welfare. The Republicans should also call for an end to the wars. We have an opportunity to make significant changes in our system of government, but it appears the opportunity will be missed as politics trumps reason and courage. If Democrats are serious about dismantling the power structure which enables the powerful and wealthy to maintain an unfair advantage over everyone else, they will begin by limiting the power of government and ending all favors handed out by government to rent-seeking corporations and unions.