18 share
moderate interest
Paul Ryan’s Plan: Rebooting
Compassionate Conservatism (excerpts - read the full article at Politico)
“Enough with politics, let’s talk solutions,”
he declared, presenting a set of policy reforms that could serve as a governing
agenda should the Republicans gain the majority in the U.S. Senate in November.
Ryan’s plan may also be a road map for Republican presidential candidates in
2016 as they seek to present themselves as a party that does care about the
least among us.
Ryan is
calling for a pilot program of “Opportunity Grants” that would consolidate 11
federal programs into one stream of funding to states. Food stamps, cash
welfare payments, housing assistance and a host of other benefits would be
packaged together, and a state that chooses to participate would get the same
amount of money, but would have flexibility in choosing how it is allocated.
Two . . .
. . scholars, Ron Haskins from Brookings
and Stuart Butler with Heritage, used the term “block grants” interchangeably
with Ryan’s opportunity grants. Block
grants have long been a cherished GOP idea, and Ryan insisted that what he’s
offering is different from “a garden variety block grant where you cut a check
and call it a day.” He envisions local groups working on the front lines, from
Catholic Charities to America Works, delivering customized services with a
neutral third party evaluating results.
“Criminal
justice reform is on Ryan’s list, and it has strong backing from the left and
the right.”
While
Ryan’s opportunity grants are likely
to generate the most controversy, he included several other ideas that have
great potential for bipartisan support.
He would
increase the Earned Income Tax Credit,
Ryan
would expand access to education, break up the “college cartels,” and reform
accreditation.
Criminal
justice reform is on Ryan’s list, and it has strong backing from the left and
the right. “Give people a chance to earn a second chance,”
Finally,
there is regulatory reform, which is a surprisingly minor piece of the Ryan
package considering how strongly Republicans oppose government regulations. If
a regulation would create an undue burden on low-income families, a federal
agency would be required to get congressional approval.
Ron
Haskins from Brookings paid Ryan the ultimate compliment, calling his proposal
“worthy of a think tank.” Almost everything in it has potential for
bipartisan support, he enthused. “If we take the Senate, we can put something
on the president’s desk.”
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