Ryan Streeter
This event is 3 hours, but well worth the time to work through. Co-sponsored by AEI and the National Review Institute, it featured a talented group of panelists (see below) on what the new Congress can do on economic issues, healthcare reforms, and the Constitution.
We feature the video here.
Two important points among many in the discussion:
- Jim Capretta trains the audience's eye on what ConservativeHome views as THE central big issue in Obamacare: the new law essentially starts a war over the future of the middle class. These are my words, not Jim's. With 111 million Americans falling between the 130%-400% of poverty threshold and thus being entitled to premium discounts through the bill's government exchanges, we face a massive expansion of government-subsidized healthcare for lower and middle income workers. And not only this, the bill will directly and negatively impact growth, making it harder for people trying to work up the employment ladder, which in turn increases their dependence on government. It's a terribly vicious cycle.
- Kevin Hassett, one of Washington's finest economists, said Obama's deficit commission is "the best commission I've ever seen." This strong endorsement is followed by a highly interesting data-driven discussion of how, historically speaking, successful fiscal consolidations were more characterized by spending reductions than tax hikes.
Perhaps working through these videos would be a good use of the GOP transition team's time! It's certainly worth their staffers' time.
Panel I: Health Care Reform: Second Opinions
JAMES CAPRETTA, Ethics and Public Policy Center
SCOTT GOTTLIEB, M.D., AEI
RAMESH PONNURU, National Review
Moderator:
KATE O'BEIRNE, National Review Institute
Panel II: The Economy and Spending: Growing and Cutting
ANDREW G. BIGGS, AEI
KEVIN A. HASSETT, AEI
ROBERT STEIN, First Trust Advisors
Moderator:
STEPHEN SPRUIELL, National Review
Panel III: The Constitution: A Repair Manual
Panelists:
MICHAEL S. GREVE, AEI
DAVID MCINTOSH, The Federalist Society
MATTHEW SPALDING, The Heritage Foundation
Moderator:
MATTHEW FRANCK, The Witherspoon Institute
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