Ryan’s plan has right idea; public should back it

Joseph Schillmoeller, Las Vegas

Friday, April 22, 2011 | 2:03 a.m.

“Tax the rich! Tax the rich! They are getting away with murder, and the Republicans want to balance the budget on the backs of the poor and seniors!” Nearly every day the same clarion call of class warfare is trumpeted by the left as it tries to distort the proposal put forth by Rep. Paul Ryan.

For example, we see letters to the editor decrying the lowering of the top marginal rate to 25 percent. The left portrays this as a huge break for the “rich,” but closer scrutiny shows the opposite.

Currently, the upper bracket pays on average — after deductions — less than 20 percent in actual taxes. If those myriad deductions were taken away and the top bracket paid a pure 25 percent, those top earners would pay much, much more in taxes. In fact, the deficit commission put together by the president suggested the top rate be dropped to 23 percent.

Another example: In the Ryan “premium support” plan, seniors on the top of the income scale would get less support and seniors on the bottom of the income scale would get more support. In addition, seniors with serious medical conditions would be eligible for special programs to deal with their situations.

You would think liberals would ballyhoo such a progressive scale, but they don’t.

Wonder why?

Control. The Ryan plan takes and dismantles large segments of the Washington bureaucracy structure and gives more power to the states — a development completely unacceptable to the big government crowd.

It’s time for the citizens of this country to spend some time and effort looking at serious proposals and stop forming their opinions on talking points and biased headlines. Our long-term fiscal future depends on us making that effort.