Free Republic

Just over a year ago, President Barack Obama singled out Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as a serious-minded Republican who could be a partner in the kind of “adult conversation” the president said he welcomes on entitlement reform. But when Ryan stepped forward Tuesday with his long-awaited budget plan, an ambitious attempt to slice almost $6 trillion in federal spending and fundamentally alter Medicare and Medicaid, the White House rejected it. Obama brushed off a question about the plan at a brief news conference. And press secretary Jay Carney described it as flawed in approach.

Rolling out a plan that is as shocking in how much it cuts as President Obama’s first budget was in how much it spent, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan is laying out a case for huge spending cuts in a new white paper that couches the coming battle in almost apocalyptic terms. “This generation’s defining moment has arrived,” Ryan says in his conclusion. At issue is the GOP’s proposed budget, which cuts $5.8 trillion over 10 years, including massive cuts to entitlement programs experts say are driving the government towards a fiscal cliff. The bold move by Ryan and House...

2012 plan revamps Medicare, lowers corporate tax rate to 25%WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Opening a new battle in Washington’s budget wars, House Republicans on Tuesday proposed to slash government spending by $6.2 trillion over 10 years, cut the top corporate tax rate to 25%, and dramatically overhaul the Medicare program. Republicans’ fiscal 2012 budget blueprint, released by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, would also scrap President Barack Obama’s health-care law, remake federal welfare programs and allow oil and gas companies to drill more freely. It cuts $6.2 trillion over the next decade compared to Obama’s 2012 budget proposal....

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday proposed an ambitious long-term transport spending plan in his 2012 budget as a way to boost U.S. economic competitiveness and spur job growth. While cutting other spending, Obama aggressively accelerated efforts to upgrade aging roads, bridges and introduce high-speed rail with a six-year, $556 billion package."It's really about a big vision, a bold vision, an innovative vision," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters.The total is 60 percent richer than the last transportation blueprint enacted by Congress, which expired in 2009.Congress is working on its own transportation spending priorities with proposals expected soon. LaHood...