New York Times Editorial, "Mr. Ryan’s Cramped Vision": And Where Is America Headed Pursuant to Obama's Expansive Vision?

In a lead-in to a New York Times editorial entitled "Mr. Ryan’s Cramped Vision" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/11/opinion/paul-ryans-cramped-vision.html), we are told:

"Romney’s running mate, Paul Ryan, the architect of budget cuts that would shred basic services, shows where the Republican Party is headed."

The editorial itself then berates Ryan for failing "to explain how he would make them [the poor] self-sufficient — how, in fact, a radical transformation of government would magically turn around an economy that is starving for assistance."

However, this editorial fails to honestly tell Times readers where the US is headed: bankruptcy.

As observed by James Pethokoukis in an article in Commentary entitled "Ryan's Hope" (http://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/ryans-hope/):

"In 2008, publicly held debt as a share of GDP was 41 percent. The Congressional Budget Office’s best guess is that it will be 73 percent this year and 94 percent by 2022—with annual budget deficits averaging $1.1 trillion for the next decade. And it is in 2022 that Medicare really starts to contribute to our fiscal instability."

Provide the best medical treatment in the world to all Americans; hand out college loans, never to be repaid, to all students who request them; offer job training when there are no jobs to be had - this is all admirable, but the US, running wild budget deficits, cannot afford this. There will need to be unpleasant cuts, and there needs to be a plan.

Where is Obama's plan? There is none. He did, however, stand in the way of the Keystone XL pipeline which was a significant first baby step in the direction of jobs and energy independence.

You can disagree with Ryan, but there should be intelligent proposals concerning how America is to pay its bills. Such are not to be found in the highly politicized Times editorial.