Risky "Assault" to the State of Well Being in the U.S.

Republicans bet on the reduction of the deficit as a priority issue. Their spending plan reduces taxes to the rich and money to health programs.

The Republican opponents of Barack Obama have made a risky bet, looking toward the 2012 presidential elections with a budget that harshly attacks social plans of the American state of well being.

The House of Representatives, ruled by the Republicans, adopted by 253 votes to 193 the draconian plan of the conservatives for the 2012 period.

The plan implies a reduction of taxes for enterprises and wealthy Americans, a policy that has been practiced by the Republicans since the Bush administration. It also controls health expenses through a reform of insurance programs in case of illness for the elderly (Medicare) and the disabled (Medicaid), which are very popular in American public opinion.

According to Robert Blendon, political science professor* at the Harvard School of Public Health, “the Republicans are betting the whole store on that even though people don’t like particular changes, they want something big done about the deficit — and that they’re going to stick with them even though they don’t like the cuts and changes.”

Against radical change, Blendon stated that the “risky” Republican strategy consists in moving the terrain of the negotiations to the right to force the administration to make some concessions.

A USA Today poll published this week shows that two-thirds of those surveyed, including Republicans, are against radical changes to Medicare.

Nevertheless, with a year and a half left until the 2012 elections and the opponents of President Obama trying to position themselves to be able to retake the White House, they are persistent in their policy of budget cuts at all costs.

“Republicans are united” in their budget policy, Eric Cantor, House majority leader, repeated on several occasions to the press.

The Speaker of the House, John Boehner, assures that the Republicans’ plan, prepared by the chairman of the Budget Committee, Paul Ryan, will only affect people under the age of 54, who will have to carry the weight of the reforms.

On the other hand, the Democrats see a golden opportunity to exploit the Republicans’ initiative politically.

The project has few possibilities of being approved in the Senate, which is still controlled by President Obama’s party. Sen. Charles Schumer, member of the Democratic majority in the Senate, said on Friday, “The Republicans have made a major mistake in turning a debate over the budget into a debate over whether to keep or eliminate Medicare.”

The voting for the Ryan plan came the day after the approval of the controversial budget for the rest of 2011, in which Republicans had already pushed to carry out “the greatest possible cuts in the budget.”

The American budget deficit could reach $1.6 trillion. The U.S. debt is valued at over $14.2 trillion.

The Congress will soon vote on whether to raise the limit of the debt, but the Republicans want to condition their votes upon “significant” measures for deficit reduction.

*Editor’s Note: Robert Blendon is Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health.