Republicans have a lot of faith.
Republican believe if they could only CUT government social programs enough -- including Obamacare -- that the American Economy and our American Society would suddenly be BOOMING -- with generous Job Creators sprouting up on every corner.
Like I said, Republicans have a LOT of faith. (ie. belief in things for which there is no evidence.)
House approves Ryan plan to cut budget $5 trillion
by Paul Kane, washingtonpost.com -- April 10, 2014
The House approved a spending framework Thursday that would shave more than $5 trillion of expected spending, advancing Rep. Paul Ryan’s final budget proposal on a largely party-line vote.
[...]
The vote on Ryan’s budget, which followed the rejection of several other proposals, including Van Hollen’s, was 219 Republicans for the measure and 193 Democrats opposing it. Twelve Republicans voted against the Ryan measure, most of those believing that it was not conservative enough.
[...]
How low will Republicans go to sacrifice 'ordinary Americans in need', on their alters of Austerity?
Well when you dig into the fine print, it turns out -- pretty damn low!
Chairman Ryan Gets 62 Percent of His Huge Budget Cuts from Programs for Lower-Income Americans
by Kelsey Merrick and Jim Horney, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities -- March 23, 2012
[...]
Total cuts in low-income programs (including cuts in both discretionary and entitlement programs) appear likely to account for at least $3.3 trillion -- or 62 percent -- of Chairman Ryan’s total budget cuts, and probably significantly more than that; as explained below, our assumptions regarding the size of the low-income cuts are conservative. The $3.3 trillion includes the following four categories of cuts:
* $2.4 trillion in reductions from Medicaid and other health care for people with low or moderate incomes. [...]
* $134 billion in cuts to SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. If Chairman Ryan’s proposed SNAP savings were achieved entirely through eligibility cuts, between 8 and 10 million people would be knocked off the program.[1]
* At least $463 billion in cuts in mandatory programs serving low-income Americans (other than Medicaid and SNAP). [...] This likely substantially understates the cuts that the plan would make in low-income programs. The Ryan documents show that $758 billion in cuts would come from mandatory programs just in the income security portion of the budget (function 600), and the bulk of the mandatory spending in that category goes for low-income programs. The documents also show $166 billion in mandatory cuts in the education, training, employment, and social services portion of the budget (function 500), which, based on the discussion in the Ryan budget documents, would likely come mainly from the mandatory portion of the Pell Grant program for low-income students.
* At least $291 billion in cuts in low-income discretionary programs. [...]
[...] When faced with the choice of which specific programs to cut, policymakers are not likely to cut much from a number of the non-low-income programs in these budget categories that are popular, such as veterans’ disability compensation, veterans’ health, the FBI, and cancer research. That means that other programs -- including low-income programs -- would have to be cut by more than their proportionate share.
Like I said, Republican priorities are expressed in their Budget cutting targets. They have NO Problem slashing funding from Medicaid, Food Stamps, Eduction, Job Training, Student Grants,
Unemployment Insurance,
-- BUT Republicans DO draw the line (according to the Reports authors), at cutting spending for Programs that are popular -- like the VA, and Cancer Research ...
Well if I wouldn't be so certain about that last one. It seems that even Cancer Patients have no guarantee of avoiding the Republican Austerity Axe ... in this age disrespecting all things Science-related (or all things Progressive) ...
Republican have a lot faith -- just not in healing the sick, using proven science ...
Kentucky lawmakers battle over cancer funding
AP Health Statistics; tbo.com -- March 27, 2014
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Earlier this month Kentucky lawmakers Dan Seum and Rocky Adkins -- both cancer survivors -- spoke at a news conference advocating for an extra $1 million to expand a state colon cancer screening program.
[...]
But no one was smiling Thursday as Seum, the GOP Senate Caucus chairman, and Adkins, the House Democratic floor leader, sat on opposite sides of a conference table in an emotionally-charged meeting, fighting over that money. Seum supported the position of the Republican-controlled Senate, which removed the money from the budget, while Adkins pressed to keep it.
Senate Republican leaders argued the state money is unnecessary, now that the federal Affordable Care Act requires insurance plans and Medicaid to cover colon cancer screenings. But House Democrats said it's too early to end the state program, pointing out that only about half of the roughly 600,000 uninsured Kentuckians have signed up for insurance through the state health insurance exchange.
[...]
Hah!
Who needs preventive screening? After they
Repeal Obamacare™ -- all those problems
will just be GONE,
right inconsistent dreamworld, Gophers?
And let's not forget the Leader of the GOP funds-mismanagement trend-setters, the president of the Republican Governors Association himself:
How Low will he Go? Christie Cuts Funds to Cancer Center
by jamess -- Apr 19, 2014
Dems need to make this blatant lack of Republican compassion -- a serious Campaign issue, this fall.
Republicans would take away away from us, what meager gains in Health Security we've managed to eke out, over the last several years -- if WE only give them the chance, because we are TOO busy, TOO betrayed, TOO jaded to Vote.
Just ask any GOP candidate who voted for the Ryan Agenda -- THEY would Repeal those meager Health Care gains in a cancer-stricken heartbeat -- if we only give them the chance ...
Pro-Begich ad embraces Obamacare
by Amanda Sakuma, msnbc.com -- April 11, 2014
[...]
Put Alaska First, a super PAC supporting Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, launched the ad campaign Thursday featuring Anchorage resident and breast cancer survivor, Lisa Keller. In the 30-second clip, Keller runs outdoors through the Alaskan snow and recounts how her insurance company dropped her coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
link to ad
[Transcript of the Pro-Obamacare Ad:]
“I was lucky I beat cancer, but the insurance companies still denied me health insurance just because of a pre-existing condition,” Keller says in the ad. “I now have health insurance again because of Mark Begich. Because he fought the insurance companies, so that we no longer have to.”
[...]
THIS is how Dems should run on Obamacare
by jamess -- Apr 18, 2014
Personal Note: My mom just died to that insidious, brutal disease (last October), after a long brave battle to stop those "rouge cells." Rest well, Mom.
Dems should make this kind of "Real world stuff" -- a common "touch-stone" of our ads, of our conversations, in the upcoming elections -- especially if we harbor any hopes of actually WINNING them.
Cancer patients deserve ALL the help in the world,
-- NOT the Republicans faith-based budget cuts, repealing that meager help away from them ... and from the fights of their lives ...