Why did Paul Ryan lie when he was asked about his budget increasing deficits and debt?

Question

In the “Debt Q&A,” Ryan’s website asks: “I heard that this budget actually increases deficits and debts. Is that true?” He answers it by saying, “No.” In fact, the debt still rises substantially. Furthermore, Ryan’s claim in the same Q&A that his plan will “bring deficits below $1 trillion immediately” is just barely true, even by his own projections.

Let’s take the debt first. Table S-1 in Ryan’s plan shows that the debt held by the public would increase from $10 trillion to $16 trillion from 2011 to 2021. That’s less than the increase projected under Obama’s budget. But the fact is the debt still increases under Ryan’s plan, though at a slower rate.

As for the deficit “immediately” dropping below $1 trillion. That may be true, but only barely. The 2012 deficit, according to his plan, would be $995 billion. That could easily go over $1 trillion if Ryan’s projections are even slightly off. The deficit would drop to $698 billion by fiscal year 2013, under Ryan’s projections. But that’s what the president’s budget projects, too. In fact, the president projects a slightly smaller deficit in fiscal year 2013 ($692 billion). It’s true that Obama’s projections are optimistic: The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office last month released an analysis (link below) of the president’s budget that found his deficit would actually be $901 billion in 2013, not $692 billion. But Ryan’s projections may also be too optimistic. CBO has not done a similar analysis for his plan.

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/121xx/doc12130/04-15-AnalysisPresidentsBudget.pdf

beta-psi · Accepted Answer

Maybe he didn't lie.  Possibly he just doesn't understand what he is dealing with.

? · Answer

Yes, Ryan has not specified the spending he would cut aside from eliminating Medicaid for 14 million people. He has based his plan on astronomical growth rates brought on by cutting taxes on the wealthy, even though this theory has been devastated during the last decade under Bush. He has also said that he would create about $700 billion per year in savings due to closing tax loopholes, but hasn't stated what a single one of these would be. In short he is a fraud, and anybody that believes him is uninformed, an idiot, or most likely both. Analyses have showed that Ryan's plan increases the deficit by more than not doing anything. So the status quo is better than his budget. Obama's plan has some probably incorrect growth rates too, but still comes in far ahead of Ryan's plan.

Brad · Answer

Paul Ryan doesn't propose balancing the budget until around 25 years or so in the future, so obviously he will increase the debt.  What he is claiming (I think) is that his liberal budget "cuts" because it is slightly less liberal than Obama's budget.

Paul Ryan's plan is basically the plan that responsible liberals should be advocating, instead of the President's Deficits Now, Deficits Tomorrow, Deficits Forever plan.

The only budget plan that balances the budget within 5 years is the plan by the great Senator from Kentucky Rand Paul.

Return of Bite My Shiny Metal... · Answer

The GAO (using that phony assumptions from the Pelosi/Reid Congress) stated that Obamacare would save $220 billion.  Obama then made a speech and stated that it would save a trillion dollars.  Obama then used 2 of the 3 CBO findings (that related to people without insurance) to support his contention that the plan would reduce health care costs, leaving out the one that stated it would raise health care costs over 30% for those who already had health insurance.

And the deficits, which were shrinking until the Democrats took control of Congress, began to swell.

And you have the nerve to call Paul Ryan's plan a lie?  Every time Obama opens his mouth, out comes another lie.  He is the Prevaricator In Chief.  His plan relies on increasing tax revenues which will not materialize.  A bigger fraud has never served as President.

@Additional details:

And Obama's promises are "non gratum anus rodendum."  Now go on and block me.  I'll really lose sleep over that act.

Jude the Obscure · Answer

He probably, like his father, as a medical professional, doesn't understand basic Economics. The fact is, if we were to get rid of the Fed, any conservative or liberal economist would point out that it would throw us into a years long recession before we'd even have a chance for a little benefit. The new Ryan based recession would be due to sky-high interest rates. His economic proposals show a basic misunderstanding of capitalism. You can't blame him, he learned economics from the fiction works of a Soviet writer who didn't know the first thing about capitalism and why it worked, Ayn Rand. I'm sure it was cute when the Ryans were in their teens, when even I was lured by the semi-intellectual flawed arguments of the Atheistic "free trade" libertarians. But, most of us outgrew the idealistic belief that selfishness can be good if we allow some magically intelligent "market force" to rule our lives unchecked. Money and Markets are man made... Trees and birds don't save greenbacks, and universes don't have stock exchanges, no matter how much Ayn Rand and Rand Paul would like to believe in their constructed god, the oldest golden calf, money.

? · Answer

Any answer would be a lie...our economy is based on money no different monopoly money and on top of that...most of that monopoly money does not even exist....there are only a bunch of wrong answers....just find a way to enjoy the ride...nothing can be done...no going back.

L.T.M. · Answer

I have absolutely no reason to believe Obama. Zero..Zip..Nada. Ryan has been straight forward, but it's election season so Facts don't mean a hell of a lot right now do they.

? · Answer

I suppose "barely" true is still true.

Anonymous · Answer

He's a Republican.

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Why did Paul Ryan lie when he was asked about his budget increasing deficits and debt?

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