Gary L. Bauer
House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and other congenitally optimistic Republicans have suggested recently that with the government shutdown behind us now is the time to negotiate a grand bargain on taxes and spending. With Republicans controlling only the House of Representatives, I don't understand this optimism.
Well, guess who agrees with me? Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid. During an interview yesterday, Reid claimed that "everybody" wants to pay more taxes. But those darned conservatives in Congress just won't let them. When asked about the chances of Congress and the White House reaching a grand bargain on taxes and spending, Reid said:
- "You keep talking about Medicare and Social Security. Get something else in your brain. Stop talking about that. … There is not going to be a grand bargain… [Conservatives] have their mind set on doing … nothing more on revenue, and until they get off that kick, there's not going to be a grand bargain on -- there's not going to be a small bargain."
Folks, let me remind you that Obama and Reid raised taxes at the end of last year and that Obamacare is full of tax increases. In fact, that was the only way the Supreme Court agreed to uphold the constitutionality of Obamacare -- as a tax.
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