Gingrich Forsaken by Fellow Republican Staffers for His Positions on Issues

Gingrich Forsaken by Fellow Republican Staffers for His Positions on Issues

I read in The Wall Street Journal that Newt's campaign staffers have left him (Neil King Jr. at neil.king@wsj.com, June 9, 2011).  This is primarily due, no doubt, to his opposition to the Ryan Plan--transforming Medicare into a private voucher system.  Newt knew that the vast majority of Americans, including many Republicans opposed the Ryan Plan. Trump knows this as well. Newt and Trump are the only Republicans to admit it. Ryan's Plan, whether you agree with it or not, is a political non-starter. For one thing, who in the 50-55 age range is going to support it? We've paid into Medicare our whole adult life and now the arbitrary 55 year old cut-off line says to us, "Too bad you didn't quite make the cut-off line...now look, here's some vouchers instead". And whether or not one finds Newt's comments about a 'radical' plan offensive, the plan is 'radical' by definition. The word 'radical' comes from the Latin word for root. A radical change therefore involves pulling up a plant, or program--Medicare--by it's 'roots'. Medicare is a well established 'plant' with deep 'roots'. Polls show the Ryan Plan would be opposed by as many or more Americans than opposed Obamacare. Shall we punish Newt and Donald because they dare tell the truth? A better way to solve the budget problem would be to downsize the federal government by combining/integrating government departments/agencies. Fold the Department of Education into the old model of Health, Education, and Welfare. Fold the EPA into the Department of the Interior. Fold the IRS into the Department of the Treasury. We forget that Reagan sought to reduce/sunset the Dept. of Education (which has existed only since Jimmy Carter), while most Republicans agree that the EPA is way too big, powerful and growing, and while Huckabee has called for the elimination of the IRS. We do not have enough money anymore to maintain so many departments, separate staffs, facilities and materiel. Any well run business would do such things in such a situation.


D. T. Johnson,  June 2011