Lazy Reporters Don't Think To Check Paul Ryan's Budget Math
Because if they did, they'd realize he wants to shut down the government.
By Susie Madrak — October 26, 2015
Economist Dean Baker explains exactly how derelict journalists are in their duty to inform voters about Rep. Paul Ryan's plans for our national budget:
Everyone has seen the news stories about how Representative Paul Ryan, the leading candidate to be the next Speaker of the House, is a budget wonk. That should make everyone feel good, since we would all like to think a person in this position understands the ins and outs of the federal budget. But instead of telling us about how much Ryan knows about the budget (an issue on which reporters actually don't have insight), how about telling us what Ryan says about the budget?
[I]nstead of telling us about how much Ryan knows about the budget… how about telling us what Ryan says about the budget?
It is possible to say things about what Ryan says, since he has said a lot on this topic and some of it is very clear. In addition to wanting to privatize both Social Security and Medicare, Ryan has indicated that he essentially wants to shut down the federal government in the sense of taking all of the money for the non-military portion of the budget.
This fact is one that is easy to find if a reporter is willing to do five minutes of research. Ryan directed the Congressional Budget Office to score his budget plans back in 2012. The score of his plan showed the non-Social Security, non-Medicare portion of the federal budget shrinking to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2050 (page 16).
This number is roughly equal to current spending on the military. Ryan has indicated that he does not want to see the military budget cut to any substantial degree. That leaves no money for the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, The Justice Department, infrastructure spending or anything else. Following Ryan's plan, in 35 years we would have nothing left over after paying for the military.
Yet lazy, incompetent reporters continue to swoon over Ryan, what with his budget wonkery and all. Sadly, they were basically English majors and still don't know how to do the math.
budget numbers, cbo, Dean Baker, Paul Ryan
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