THE RYAN PLAN REDUX, NEWT GINGRICH'S OIL PLAN, AND OTHER AWFUL REPUBLICAN IDEAS

Let it be known before some Teatard throws it out there that I am not a liberal, dirt munching, tree hugging druid who loves being a vegan, rabid member of PETA and believes that a healthy diet of sticks and twigs will make me live longer. I am also not some right wing, Obama hating, Glenn Beck listener who cleans my gun while jerking off to a picture of Ronald Regan.While my views skew hard left toward social positions like the environment, gay rights, being pro-choice, and safety net programs I am hard to the right on gun control, the death penalty and fiscal responsibility. In other words don't pigeon hole me as one or the other, as both sides love to do. There are those of us who see the world in more than just black and white. That being said, while I feel democrats are a bunch of scumsucking leeches that feed off the corporate tit just as much as the GOP, at least they aren't try to convince me that salt water chases away the thristies.

Paul Ryan dusted off his mightily unpopular budget plan from last year, made some minor tweaks and released it for the world to see today. It's like the Republicans almost don't want to win. You would think that after the last few weeks of seeming to be virulently against woman's rights you might want to tone down the rhetoric, but no, you doubled down on crazy instead.

The plan, which is more or less the exact same as last year's, would switch Medicare from a traditional "fee for service" plan in which government covers expenses to a voucher program in which government subsidies help purchase health insurance. The only problem with this is plan is that it will never, ever work. Without a individual mandate, as the Republicans will never endorse as it's "Obama's idea," healthy, younger seniors will opt out of the program until needed, causing prices to soar. Plus, there is no guarantee that people will even be allowed to be picked up by various insurance companies unless pre-existing conditions are eliminated, and denial of coverage may become far more routine than many would wish. If you have money in this plan, you'll be fine. Poor and start digging a ditch because that's the only health care you'll be able to afford.

Seniors went ballistic over this last year, showing up a town hall meetings and pitching a fit which was something usually only seen at democratic ones till then. Newt Gingrich called the idea stupid in a rare moment of sanity, but was then set upon by the pit bulls in his own party and was forced to pull a 360 or as we now call it "a Romney." This plan has no chance of law as the Senate will never pass it, reminds people of everything we hate about the Republican party and will be used ad naseum come fall during the ad onslaught we all facing. This is, without a doubt, political suicide. Ryan's numbers haven't been that great since last year's fiasco and the union busting done by Gov. Scott Walker, now facing a recall vote on May 8th, has odds looking darker as the day approaches according to recent polls.

Speaking of Newt Gingrich, I have to comment on his latest campaign promise of $2.50 gas along with war with Iran. These two ideas are as compatible as Sarah Palin reading, well, anything. If we attack Iran, gas prices will rocket upward, and one of the main reasons I am still unsure about what to do with the country, as is everyone else. There is no good answer to a nuclear Iran but shouting about war and cheap gas is hysterically stupid. As Gingrich and Paul are all but done (Gingrich's campaign is $1.55 million in debt putting him fourth in fundraising) we have to deal the possibility of Obama VS Romney or, shudder, Obama VS Santorum. As much as I hate to vote for a man doing almost everything wrong, Romney or Santorum could actually be worse, especially if you're a minority, gay or a woman. The GOP no longer speaks for you, and in some cases never did, so wake up and smell the coffee burning.

In other news, ABC news is reporting Russian forces in Syria, there to aid the Assad regime. No one else has said anything about this, including Israeli infosites, so it's credibility is unknown. Syria has threatened a preemptive strike, much like Iran earlier this month, against anyone they think is coming after them.This is not helping the situation guys. A recent wargame done by the DoD came to the exact same conclusion as one ran in 2005: war with Iran will be a lot more brutal than anyone realizes. It should not be entered lightly and we should wait until the last minute to attack as any chance of an easy victory was erased years ago after Iran fortified their military strengths around 2005. Bush bombed the wrong country. What a dick.

We still stand at the brink of war with an armada now in the Persian Gulf and if an attack were to happen it's best chance of success would be before the end of April. After that heat will screw up targeting systems and infrared and delay an attack to late summer/early fall and right into the heart of an election cycle. Israel knows that an attack right around then might be their best option and, possibly the end of humanity. But we have walked right into this by failing to get off of oil over the last thirty years, even though it has been more than possible for some time now. But if Iran does get a nuke, that may actually be worse as nothing they have done these past few decades suggests rational thought. Extremists are extremists and giving them absolute power may be the worst decision ever, especially if "God" tells them to use it.