Ryan budget is “a joke and a betrayal!”

Ryan Murray

That’s what former Reagan Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director David Stockman called Paul Ryan’s budget agreement with Senate Democrat Patty Murray. The fiscally irascible Stockman should not be the only one unnerved by Ryan’s duplicity. The fait accompli debt deal eliminates sequestration driven defense cuts, lifts spending caps, and promises to make up for it somewhere down the road? The silver lining—no new taxes—another poorly conceived tactical defeat where we get nothing for something, courtesy of your Republican Party.

Sometimes the line between compromise and capitulation is narrow, but not this time. Reeling from the unpopular Tea Party forced government shutdown in October, the GOP leadership has officially turned its back on the Movement that put them in power. They have shown their true colors (certainly not red) and surrendered to the spend today damn tomorrow Libs.

The significance is clear as day. There will be no more budget showdowns, no more fanged initiatives for real cuts, no more attempts at meaningful reform, at least not from the GOP. A defensive House Speaker admonishes us, “Listen, if you are for deficit reduction, you are for this agreement.” Representative Tom Cole (R-OK) added further, “You can’t spend your time making perfect the enemy of good.” Translation, we have given up and so should you.

I guess they forgot telling’s not selling. In the big picture we all know how this ends: fiscal collapse, bankruptcy, default, Greece, or any other synonym for catastrophe that comes to mind. We have all heard the cynical phrase, “Kick the can down the road.” But, for how much longer can we “extend and pretend” before we run out of road.

The answer is fast approaching. The real economy, local and global, is in poor condition, and things are getting worse despite empty euphoria about soaring stock prices. Former banker Satyajit Das conveys the unpopular truth:

“There is a growing gap between financial markets and real economic activity, between the 1% who continue to gain from the current environment and the 99% whose economic fortunes have declined, and between the promises of policy makers and the economic reality.”

When small gaps between real and perceived become chasms disaster strikes. Eventually, the short term is overtaken by the long term and reality destroys fantasy. This phenomenon is already working against Obama, once the inspiring icon to the gullible, now a Potemkin to the disillusioned. It will soon act against the GOP, whom, like the Left, now conflates doing what is popular with doing what is right.

The entitlement state is dying. Instead of broadcasting that message and advocating reforms to confront its inevitability, Republicans have opted to rejoin the party on the Titanic. They will not be rewarded for doing so.

For those steadfastly opposed to building a new party, it is time to rethink that position. Over 60% of Americans now say there is a need for a third party because both major parties are out of touch, the most ever according to Gallup. For those already in the Tea Party Movement, it is time to think bigger and aim higher.

Cameron Macgregor is a former Naval Officer and USNA graduate. He is currently a graduate student at George Mason University.

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Cameron Macgregor

Cameron Macgregor graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2007. He then served aboard the navy destroyer USS BENFOLD for just over two years, working primarily as an engineering officer. He completed one deployment to the Arabian Gulf in 2008, a tour that involved a diverse range of operations from anti-piracy to anti-drug trafficking. After leaving the navy Cameron briefly worked for Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC). Since, Cameron has been writing and teaching. Some of his work has appeared in the Washington Times. He is currently a graduate student at George Mason University.

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2 Comments

  1. Cameron, you express the frustration that almost every Conservative must have right now. I’m not a Pollyanna by any means,however, I try to be objective & search for something positive. And, let’s face it….Our side of the cake doesn’t have any of the icing or the knife that’s slicing it….”Our” voters stayed home & true to our ‘individual’ perfect choice of legislators & President. We gave them the knife!! NOW we muct concentrate on ways to take it away from them!!

    Paul Ryan is undoubtedly one of the top mathematicians in the legislature and he said three (3) things I’m holding onto
    #1. You cannnot govern from the minority
    #2. As long as this Administration is in charge
    we won’t get what we need/want
    #3. This is the FIRST step

    The sequester remains appx. 70% in effect, with funds being directed to Defense. And another biggie (to me) is that there will be no renewal of the ‘extended unemployment’ benefits. Now, granting that many are still seriously ‘looking’ for work, it is also true many have adapted to less income or shun lower paying jobs to tide them over. ….Likely the BEST is that without the threat of another ‘shutdown’ businesses will have some stability to plan their growth.

    Perhaps it will serve us better to concentrate on what we CAN DO, rather than the negative can’ts??

    Perhaps we CAN work & elect legislators that CAN do the job with a pure AMERICAN heart & mind….that of “We the people”…

    Thank you for your service….I’m a navy brat, sister & mom

  2. Fundamentally I am a supporter of the Tea Party, Cameron, and I do believe it is time for a truly conservative third party. I believe most Americans are really Conservative at heart. A lot of people follow because they don’t really know what they think. Once they understand two things – what our First Principles are and how our Constitution supports those AND what is really at stake in our Nation – many of them embrace the natural conservative within themselves. The more we, as a people, are pushed by the Socialists the more we are going to push back. Everyone is okay with being politically correct and they think it is fine to restrict the rights of others if it will keep them safe, BUT, when it starts to cost them personally, in terms of money and individual freedoms, they wake up and put their foot down. The risk, of course, is that it may become too late for resisting the Socialist invasion.

    At this point the big Obama push has caused a significant conservative stir – it basically spawned the Tea Party movement and we see some of the most negative numbers against the Government we have ever seen. Naturally I hope we can Capitalize on that.

    However. We need to exercise WISDOM! In 1945 as WWII was coming to a close the Nations of the world came together and formed the United Nations – it was the exploitation of crisis and has set us on a long term course of Globalism that may yet be more devastating than a WWIII! Our Congress almost unanimously voted to join the UN. Just 18 Congressmen voted FOR our Constitution and against the surrender of Sovereignty to a World Government! And what was the mantra of the majority of our Congress (who all took the same oath to uphold the Constitution)? In the specter of the greatest horror the human race has ever experienced; “We have to try something!” (to prevent another global war)….

    And now to my point – about the Tea Party and why I have reservations about it. Two words “liberty Amendments…”. That’s right! I don’t know what the official Tea Part stance is toward Mark Levin’s “States Convention” – what we have called a Constitutional Convention or Con Con for the last 3 plus decades but a significant portion of the Tea Party membership supports Levin’s crusade.This is a process that would put the most precious document of our Nation at risk. It would be tantamount to the Children of Israel parading their Arch of the Covenant before a battalion of Abram tanks! While I am anxious to support the Tea Party I CANNOT support this act of desperation; this “We have to try something!” Nor can I see how any true conservative could support putting at risk the very heart of our freedom.

    What the Supporters of a Con Con don’t seem to take into consideration is that fixing something that ain’t broke – many of Levin’s Amendments are already addressed directly in the original document and, in fact, some of his amendments actually weaken the Constitution – isn’t going to fix the government. They do NOT obey the Constitution now. Adding more amendments will not change that!

    The root of our Nations ailments is not a broken Constitution – so leave it alone! The root of our Nations ailments is not really an out of control government – although that is a serious and fatal symptom of the problem. No. I think it was Jefferson (but I could be wrong) that said “it is not up to the elected representative to BE Moral. It is up to the electorate to INSURE that the people they elect are ALREADY moral! And That is the root of our Nations problems. We the people are no longer moral as a people and until we return to our core values no amount of amendments and not EVEN a good and Moral President will make any real difference to our Nation’s Ailments!

    I realize this doesn’t actually address the primary topic of the Budget Deal, which to me is an exercise in futility – every Fiat Currency ever invented has crashed to zero value 100% of the time so all of this is Constitutional Defiance no matter how you slice it! But it is to the secondary point of Tea Party defense. And it is a major issue! The Con Con is yet one more distraction from the numerous crisis-eese we SHOULD be focusing on – things like the Regional Trade Agreements that are a far bigger threat to our Constitution and our Sovereignty than Amendments that won’t work. Things like Amnesty! The ACA law where it AIN’T About Healthcare but transfer of power to the Executive Branch. I find it peculiar that a brazenly liberal publisher is handling the book and that there is no mainstream media blitz opposing it! Even Obama would like to get his grubby hands on the Constitution.

    So maybe this is a thin excuse to express my concerns here but I am so opposed to this that I will take every opportunity to voice my concerns! Thanks for being patient.

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