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ProSense

(116,464 posts)
Mon Mar 25, 2013, 11:50 AM Mar 2013

Senate: Rand Paul's lunatic budget gets 18 Republican votes

The political relevance of Rand Paul's budget

By Steve Benen

For budget wonks, last week was arguably the greatest week of the year. House Republicans narrowly passed their budget; Senate Democrats narrowly passed their budget; and there were competing alternatives presented by House Democrats, the Republican Study Committee, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Even Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) had a plan of his own.

A budget plan from Tea Party favorite Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would balance the budget in five years was voted down in the Senate late Friday night.

Paul's Platform to Revitalize America would cut $2.3 trillion in taxes compared to current policy and reduce government spending by $9.6 trillion.

That Rand Paul presented his own plan is not especially shocking. What matters, however, is what's in it and who voted for it.

As you'd probably guess, the Paul budget plan is pretty out there. To eliminates the deficit in five years, the senator would abolish the Departments of Education, Energy, Commerce, and Housing and Urban Development, while privatizing the Transportation Security Authority. Paul would also slash taxes on the rich by establishing a 17% flat tax and eliminating capital gains taxes.

What's more, Paul's budget plan would raise the Social Security retirement age and privatize Medicare, while taking health care benefits away from millions of Americans by eliminating the entirety of the Affordable Care Act.

- more -

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/03/25/17455458-the-political-relevance-of-rand-pauls-budget

Rand Paul Outlines Budget Plan At CPAC
http://sync.democraticunderground.com/10022507414

Here are the kooks who supported this:

YEAs ---18
Barrasso (R-WY)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Enzi (R-WY)
Flake (R-AZ)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnson (R-WI)
Lee (R-UT)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Scott (R-SC)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Vitter (R-LA)

10 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Senate: Rand Paul's lunatic budget gets 18 Republican votes (Original Post) ProSense Mar 2013 OP
They are not the kooks abq e streeter Mar 2013 #1
This is what I say all the time. Jamaal510 Mar 2013 #6
Maybe some ProSense Mar 2013 #7
All the usual suspects. n/t timdog44 Mar 2013 #2
I think we should reduce the federal $$ flowing to OK, TX, AL, and KY. sinkingfeeling Mar 2013 #3
Apparently McConnell is confident he's going to win re-election. n/t ProSense Mar 2013 #5
He could add an NRA component Turbineguy Mar 2013 #4
We don't need... setab Mar 2013 #8
I see that Carnival Cruz and Cornhole both voted for it. hobbit709 Mar 2013 #9
Cruz and Paul ProSense Mar 2013 #10

abq e streeter

(7,658 posts)
1. They are not the kooks
Mon Mar 25, 2013, 11:53 AM
Mar 2013

They're shrewd, cynical, criminals, and frontmen for criminals.The kooks are the millions upon millions who voted for them.

Jamaal510

(10,893 posts)
6. This is what I say all the time.
Mon Mar 25, 2013, 01:00 PM
Mar 2013

The idiots in the GOP are not necessarily the public figures like Limbaugh, McConnell, or Romney; it's mainly the rank-and-file Republicans who are imbeciles. You'd have to be an imbecile to be non-rich and support a political party Hell-bent on cutting services that many struggling Americans depend on.

ProSense

(116,464 posts)
7. Maybe some
Mon Mar 25, 2013, 01:23 PM
Mar 2013

"They're shrewd, cynical, criminals, and frontmen for criminals.The kooks are the millions upon millions who voted for them."

...of them are fooled by things like "Stand With Rand"

Some of them have to think to themselves: I guess he's not all that bad.

The thing is most of those people will never know that this budget vote took place.

 

setab

(8 posts)
8. We don't need...
Mon Mar 25, 2013, 01:43 PM
Mar 2013

We don't need balanced budgets from the government. We need to keep the idea that we need central planning going - even if it means bailing out they companies we don't like (such as the banks).

Tax the producers, tax the capitalists. We can print what we need as well. It's more important to keep people supported than to let the so called "economic losers" - at the top and bottom - fail.

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