Thom Aschi: 'The Army-McCarthy Hearings Documentary'

Source:Thom Aschi- U.S. Senate Oversight Committee Arm/McCarthy Hearing in 1953.

Source:The Daily Post

“Joseph McCarthy Congressional Hearings” 

From Thom Aschi 

The West with the help of Russia wins World War II and agrees to give Europe the resources that it needs to rebuild themselves after Nazism and what Italian Fascists did to the continent. The West, America and Europe was now somewhat at peace. But in America and Europe you had this huge liberal democracy in America and all of these mid-size developing social democracies in Europe, against this gigantic, totalitarian, Communist State in the Soviet Union in Russia. And the two dominant visions of the world being the Liberal Democratic America, versus Communist Russia.

And because of the emergence of the Cold War, Americans especially those who perhaps very well-educated about communism became afraid if it. And were worried about communism taking over America and Communists running America. And that is where Senator Joe McCarthy and his allies and colleagues in Congress starting in the House in 1947 with the Un-American Activities Committee and then in the Senate with Army-McCarthy hearings, emerge to look like they were stamping out Communists in the U.S. Government.

Senator Joe McCarthy becomes a political star very early on, especially as a junior Senator. He becomes Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee in the Senate in 1953 after Republicans win back Congress again, after only being in the Senate for five years. But his political skills at least early on and his power as a speaker gave him a following to move up quickly and a platform to investigate supposed Communists in the U.S. Government. And to look like the strongest anti-Communist around and to advance his political career. 

The Daily Caller: Nicholas Ballasy- 'Kathleen Sebelius: Paul Ryan’s Medicare Reform Plan ‘a Serious Proposal'

Source:The Daily Caller- White House correspondent Nicholas Ballasy.

"Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told The Daily Caller that the Medicare reform plan put forth by Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan is a “serious proposal” but President Obama has “made it clear” that it is not the right direction for the program.

In 2010, however, President Obama spoke highly of Ryan’s plan.

“I think Paul [Ryan], for example, the head of the Budget Committee, has looked at the budget and has made a serious proposal. I’ve read it. I can tell you what’s in it and there’s some ideas in there that I would agree with but there’s some ideas we should have a healthy debate about because I don’t agree with them. The major driver of our long-term liabilities, everybody here knows, is Medicare and Medicaid and our health care spending. Nothing comes close,” said President Obama at the GOP retreat on January 29, 2010." 

From The Daily Caller

I'm willing to give Representative Paul Ryan (Republican, Wisconsin: Chairman of the Budget Committee) credit for offering a serious plan when it comes to Medicare as well. I just don't think that's saying much. 

Giving Representative Ryan credit for offering a serious plan, is sort of like giving credit to a parking attendant who parks your car in the right spot and then remembers where he parked it and brings your car back when you are ready to leave and you reward him for that with a big tip.

Paul Ryan is Chairman of the House Budget Committee. If he's not offering serious plan when it comes to the government's finances, what the hell is he doing there at taxpayer expense. 

Representative Ryan would cut costs in Medicare by turning it into a voucher system and forcing seniors to get private health insurance. You could argue that would save Medicare a lot of money. But the problem you are saving money at the expense of quality health care and insurance and cutting back on choice for how seniors get their health insurance.