A Republican Road to Economic Recovery

The Wall Street Journal ^ | March 2, 2009 | Paul Ryan

[Scanian]

Inheriting countless challenges, Congress and the Obama administration have moved quickly on many fronts to implement their economic agenda. After two months of drastic interventions, has hope replaced fear, and confidence pushed aside uncertainty? Hardly.

The budget the president released last week, however, does provide some certainty about where we are headed: higher taxes on small businesses, work and capital investment.

Add to this the costly burdens of a cap-and-trade carbon emissions scheme and an effective nationalization of health care, and it is clear that the government is going to grow while the economy will shrink. In a nutshell, the president's budget seemingly seeks to replace the American political idea of equalizing opportunity with the European notion of equalizing results.

A constructive opposition party should be willing to call out the majority when it falls short. More important, Republicans must offer alternatives. In this spirit, here is what I would do differently:

[ClearCase_guy]

I'd like to see the Fair Tax. No deficit spending. Cut government spending by 10% every year for 5 years.

Government is a parasite.

[snowrip]

The Kill America bill and the forthcoming budget have absolutely NOTHING to do with economic recovery... and everything to do with Onazi’s intention to inflict massive damage upon the institutions of the United States of America.

Call it what it is, republicans... TYRANNY.

[Man50D]

I'd like to see the Fair Tax. No deficit spending

The Fair Tax will be the stimulus package we need.

[Non-Sequitur]

OK so why can't the congressional leadership get behind and promote something like this? Instead of sending Jindal out there to give a speech about nothin’ they should have gone out and had him present clear and distinct alternative to Obama’s schemes. Details, not platitudes, will beat the Democrats.

[MuttTheHoople]

Dr. Limbaugh is doing a masterful job of exposing Red Barry and his Marxist dream of turning America into the same 3rd world $hithole his daddy Barry came from. However, the GOP House and Senate leadership need to offer ideas like what’s proposed here, to create momentum for the 2010 midterm elections.

[Scanian]

I agree. Ryan going before the cameras with a detailed alternative would have worked a lot better. I don’t think many people pay attention to those opposition speeches, however.

[Scanian]

Maybe we could call him “Wild Red Barry”—it might at least get a chuckle from oldies like me who remember the ‘50’s wrestler and manager. Red liked to cheat and whine a lot, as I recall.

[Trust but Verify]

Paul Ryan needs to be the face of the republican party right now, taking nothing away from Rush. Ryan is young, SMART articulate, good-looking, and sincere. People will follow him. Whenever he has appeared on CNBC and other shows, he has hit the ball out of the park.

[ventana]

Ryan and the other guy Cantor...V’s wife.

[Sequoyah101]

Ditto, GOVERNMENT IS A PARASITE

Highest business taxes in the world.

Why would any company want to make anything here?

[what's up]

A good model for this government-sponsored entity is the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), which helped clean up bank failures in the wake of the savings-and-loan crisis in the late 1980s

The RTC was also the model for Bush's bailout last fall.

This caused screams from conservatives of "bailout" when actually it was intended to be largely returned to the taxpayer. How can further RTC-type proposals be accepted as Mr. Ryan is suggesting?

[SumProVita]

Come up with a plan and with a united front, present directly to the people via advertising.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

...higher taxes on small businesses, work and capital investment...

Add weak foreign policy, no anti-terror policy, etc. I can't help notice GW Bush has been silent while congress and 0 gut his policies. If I recall, a few days after Clinton left office he was complaining about modest policy changes by his successor.

[Scanian]

Clinton displayed his lack of class by doing that. I doubt that W wants to follow that example. Bush 41 never criticized Clinton, no matter how much criticism he deserved.

[Scanian]

I do recognize, however, that pubbies worry far too much about class and decorum and need to display a greater willingness to get down in the gutter with their vicious Democrat opponents.

[CPOSharky]

Inheriting countless challenges, Congress and the Obama administration have moved quickly on many fronts to implement their economic socialize America agenda.

There, fixed it.

[reaganator]

“inherited” is a word used a lot! How much of this mess did the Democratic Congress either cause or allow to happen?

[Scanian]

Plenty. The mere fact that the Dow tanks every time Obama opens his mouth is a major cause of catastrophe.

[Non-Sequitur]

I agree. Ryan going before the cameras with a detailed alternative would have worked a lot better. I don’t think many people pay attention to those opposition speeches, however.

Probably not, but it would have been a good place to start. Outline a clear program in the rebuttal speech, carry it on to the Sunday talk shows and the CPAC conference and any other chance you have from there. Get people asking Obama why such and such proposal of the Republicans won't work rather than giving him a free ride. Ideas are what work, not empty rhetoric. Presenting those ideas has to start somewhere.