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Conn Carroll is exactly right this morning at the Examiner when he writes:
Would any Republican ever say that we must raise taxes to create jobs? Of course not. Yet by pretending that candidates can avoid talking about entitlement reform, some Republicans are essentially arguing just that.
Any conservative candidate will tell you that among the top policy priorities for job creation is low taxes. Texas Gov. Rick Perry sure is talking up the role his state’s low taxes played in his state’s strong job creation record. But those low taxes are only sustainable as long as entitlement spending is kept low. That is why Perry fought so hard for flexibility in the state’s Medicaid program.
The exact same is true, only more so, at the federal level. The only way our current tax rates, let alone lower ones, can be sustainable is if government spending is reduced. And the only way to reduce government spending is to reform entitlement programs, Medicare being the big spending league leader.
The mere possibility that this fact isn’t already thoroughly ingrained into every Republican’s brain is exactly why so many conservatives are pushing for Ryan to run.
Without entitlement reform, our taxes are going up - big time. And, the role of the federal government will only grow more intrusive as bureaucrats play a greater and greater role in making health care decisions for us. There is hardly any scenario where this isn't really bad for the economy.
That's why Ryan's budget is called A Path to Prosperity. His team has tried hard to sell it as much an economic growth agenda as an entitlement reform agenda. I think it's safe to say the public has gotten a better grasp of the latter than the former, but the two definitely go together.
There is some hope that the dual message can get out. The readers who have been writing in to encourage Ryan to run seem to understand the connection between entitlement reform and a robust economy.
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