This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Remember the last election, when Republicans swept into office on the mantra of jobs, jobs, jobs? Well, they've been in office more than 100 days and have yet to present a jobs bill. To be fair, they've been busy with other things, like de-funding National Public Radio, obsessing over full-body scans, and the mother of all concerns — President Barack Obama's birth certificate. Feeling buyer's remorse yet?
To shift attention away from their lack of job creation, the GOP have instead zeroed in on the deficit, offering as a fix a plan by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. The Ryan plan doesn't actually create a budget surplus until 2040 and calls for significant increases in the debt ceiling.
It also eliminates Medicare and "courageously" takes trillions of dollars from low- and mid-income people and gives it as tax breaks to the rich and the health-care industry. Although voters, including tea partiers, are overwhelmingly against cuts to Medicare, Sens. Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch support the Ryan repeal of Medicare. Feeling buyer's remorse now?
If Republicans were serious about deficit reduction, the Bush tax cuts would be on the table. Obviously, they aren't serious; it's just another excuse to cut social programs.
Susan Christensen
Salt Lake City