Paul Ryan, the head of the House budget committee, is proposing to cut future increases in the deficit from $10.4 trillion to $6.4 trillion—over 10 years. Aside from the typical conservative love of empire and invasions—the Pentagon and its satellite agencies are not touched—anything over 10 years is eyewash. Why not a 100 year plan? All that matters is what is spent or cut or taxed this year. The current congress cannot bind future congresses. I first encountered this multiple-year trick when Phil Gramm had his four-year, balanced-budget plan under the debtaholic Reagan. It was a joke, of course. Again, when it comes to congress, only this year counts. And this year, the Republicans plan to cut, they claim, 1.5% of the deficit. Thanks a lot. They should all listen to Ron Paul. Politically (and morally), it makes far more sense to try to eviscerate the empire, pave the Pentagon, clam up the CIA, put the kibosh on the Kill Teams, rather than going after programs for the poor. Welfare to go, too, but it is hardly the place to start. Predator drones and all the other instruments of mass death are.

UPDATE Good analysis of the Ryan fraud from Bob Wenzel.