You’re familiar with the Honorable Paul Ryan (R-WI), correct? Former Vice-Presidential nominee, US House Budget Committee Chair? Yeah. I thought so.
This week, the gentleman from Janesville has unveiled his newest stab at carving up the Federal debt. Predictably, it’s heavy on old-school subsidies to large corporations and the wealthiest Americans (with the assumption that will create growth – standard “trickle-down” “voodoo economics“) and heavy on cuts to social programs intended to benefit low-income, low-wealth Americans.
We’re all essentially desensitized to this sort of budget proposal. It’s been standard-issue from the Right since at least 1981, and we all know it slowly creeps a little farther to the right every time a new budget is proposed.
Now comes the Honorable Alan Grayson (D-FL). Think of Grayson as the anti-Ryan. Although both share an undergraduate background in economics, there are few areas of agreement between them.
The gentleman from Orlando, speaking in reference to Ryan’s fiscal proposal, had this to say:
“He wants Americans to work until they die, he wants poor people who get sick not be able to see a doctor, not to get the care they need, not to get better, he wants them to die, and he wants an America that consists of nothing but cheap labor for his corporate patrons.”
FOX News said of this, “Alan Grayson Returns with Creepy Death Antics.”
The simple approach to this is to shake your head and think, “Here we go again. This is why Washington doesn’t work, they’re all too busy pretending to be extremists.” Allow me to ask you to stretch your mind on this a bit. What if Grayson is correct?
It isn’t hard to make the leap from saying Paul Ryan’s plans are “harsh” to saying they are downright dangerous. If his plans do indeed make access to health care more difficult – even in the near-term – and reduce access to food for children and seniors (and nobody is pretending it does not) then it is not difficult to connect his plans to increased mortality among our nation’s most vulnerable.
It’s not socially acceptable to admit that clear connection, and Congressman Grayson probably isn’t getting a lot of cocktail invitations from the beltway insiders, but it’s a fair question to ask: “Congressman Ryan, won’t your plan kill poor Americans?”
Take another step back from the day-to-day operations of government. If it is true that this plan endangers the lives of the least among us, is that intentional? Is this a long-term (30+ years at this point) plan to cleanse America of those seen as less-desirable by Congressman Ryan’s social caste?
Is this another step in a system of eugenics perpetrated by the far Right, with Paul Ryan as it’s current point-person?
I know what you’re thinking. “This is crazy talk. Conspiracy theory.” Maybe. But don’t forget, eugenics was practiced, actively, on a small scale in the US not all that long ago. Around the globe, it’s still in practice in one form or another. It’s just not acceptable to talk about it.
It may be true that Congressman Ryan and his fellows have the very best at heart for these United States and its people. It may also be that the “very best at heart” means some people are going to be expendable on the way to that “very best.”
Perhaps it’s time to give Congressman Grayson a fair hearing on this.
Until that happens, as long as FOX News accuses Alan Grayson of practicing “creepy death antics” I believe I will accuse Paul Ryan of practicing eugenics.
—
In addition to writing here at Everblog, Harvey Ward writes about his efforts to live healthier and better at SkippingDessert.Com. You can also find him on Twitter @hlward.
Everblog 
And the difference between what Grayson said and the Republican Death Panels would be what?