The Republican Plan, I: People Will Die  So the Republicans have
a deficit reduction and a health care plan, all wrapped into
one, the “Roadmap for America’s Future.” It’s being pushed by
Paul Ryan, in part because he’s the ranking member of the House
Budget Committee, in part because he’s good-looking and
articulate, in part to provide the party plausible deniability
if it flops (like Bobby Jindal a year ago). The CBO says that it
will balance the budget and even eliminate the national debt by
2080. Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias have commented on it. Klein
says, “I wouldn’t balance the budget in anything like the way
Ryan proposes. His solution works by making care less affordable
for seniors. . . . But his proposal is among the few I’ve seen
that’s willing to propose solutions in proportion to the
problem.” Yglesias says “it’s totally unworkable.” But they’re
both being much too kind.  Ryan realizes that “the deficit
problem is a health-care problem,” which he agreed to in an
interview with Klein. That’s goo