Reagan adviser to Republicans: ‘You can’t get the job done’

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Former Reagan Adviser On GOP'S Pledge To America

September 25, 2010

September 25, 2010

House Republican leader John Boehner has a two-point prescription for our economic ills: freeze current tax rates and cut government spending. But is it really that simple? Host Guy Raz breaks it down with former Office of Management and Budget director David Stockman.

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RAZ: Now, as you mentioned, the Republican talks about cutting discretionary spending, nothing too specific but presumably things like education and infrastructure spending, no talk about cutting mandatory spending, things like Medicare and Social Security. Can you begin, you know, to tackle exploding deficits without beginning to take a hard look at those programs?

Mr. STOCKMAN: No, I don't think you can. And that's why I think, as I said, the plan's half right but also half baked. They're being disingenuous when they say right in the second or third page, I see here, that we will exempt seniors, that's all Social Security and Medicare, I presume, and federal retirement and so forth that will exempt veterans, will exempt all of defense, Homeland Security and you have to pay the interest on the debt.

Well, that happens to add up to 2.4 trillion or almost two-thirds of the budget. So if you're exempting two-thirds of the budget and you're focusing only on non-defense discretionary, which actually is only about 500 billion or 15 percent of the budget, it's pretty obvious you can't get the job done.

more:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130126335
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/reagan-adviser-republicans-you-job-done/