Dana Milbank knows how to skewer pandering politicians of both political Clans.

Milbank does it by using their own words. On 6 April Milbank did a fine job on the blue eyed wunderkind from the southern part of Wisconsin, Paul Ryan, Chair of the House of Representatives Budget Committee in “Paul Ryan picks a fight.” (WaPo 6 April 2011)

At a press conference wunderkind Ryan referred to the House Budget Committee’s proposed federal budget proposal as a ‘cause,’ not a ‘budget.’

Ryan is on a crusade to support his ‘cause.’ That is not bad per se, unless as is the case here, it is a very BAD cause.

Ryan is on a crusade to save his congressional seat and pave the way to ‘higher office.’

Ryan is on a crusade to save his and other Clan member’s campaign supporters.

Ryan’s crusade is fanning the Anger of Ignorance and contributing to Intentional Ignorance.

Ryan’s crusade sounds a lot like the rhetoric of another pretty young fellow from the central part of Virginia: Choirboy Cantor. Mr. Bacon did not vote for Cantor. For the record, EMR would not have voted for him either. EMR would have written in James A. Bacon unless there was a AntiPartisan candidate… but that is another story.

Ryan in on a mission, a cause.

That cause is not in the best interest of the vast majority of the citizens of the US. It is a hard turn away from democracy and from preserving a market economy to allocate resources and fairly distribute total costs of human activities.

Ryan, and those he speaks for, hope to squeeze a few more years out of the current trajectory but they do not understand the full context of THE CURRENT TRAJECTORY.

No one in their right mind thinks the federal Agencies should spend as much money as they do.

No one in their right mind thinks that the Federal Agencies should spend the citizens resources on all the things that resource is spent on.

That said;

No one in their right mind thinks the place to start is to shut down the government (‘starve the beast’) or cut taxes for those at the top of the Ziggurat.

First, both Clans – and everyone else in the US – must understand and publicly admit that it will cost FAR more than anyone is now paying to maintain anything like the quality of life that has been enjoyed during the Age of Gluttony.

Citizens and their Organizations have been enjoying the Era of Mass OverConsumption. Federal, state and municipal Agencies – along with Enterprises, Institutions and Households – have been living off Natural Capital. That Natural Capital – energy of course, but also top soil, potable water, fresh air and everything else the environment provides–is running low and half the human population is in active pursuit of far more than they have been getting. See ENOUGH? (Forthcoming)

The fundamental flaw in this “starve the beast, budget for the 1960s” approach is that to meet Core Agency responsibilities it will require FAR MORE RESOURCES than are now being applied to PUBLIC health, safety and welfare.

The infrastructure that is needed to support an advanced civilization is falling apart.

It is not just roadways and bridges, it is water and sewer lines,too Communications networks over burdened to support Mass OverConsumption and the waste of time.

Airplanes are popping open and diving out of the sky. Every existing nuclear facility is near obsolescence. Coal is more dangerous to humans (in deaths per megawatt) that nuclear. Any strategy to supply as much energy consumption per capita for all humans as is now consumed by citizens of the US will trigger an economic and physical disaster.

And then there are the basics needed to support even a New Bronze Age: Water, Food and Shelter.

Fresh and sea water is growing more contaminated.

The food supply chain is long and unsafe by the standards humans have come to expect. Food costs are skyrocketing because energy is skyrocketing. Top soil continues to erode.

In shelter, Agencies and Enterprise have conspired to create the Wrong Size House in the Wrong Locations – exacerbating the Mobility and Access Crisis, creating the Affordable and Accessible Housing Crisis and compounding the Helter Skelter Crisis.

Health Care has higher costs and worse outcomes than in most other ‘developed’ nation-states. Mental Health Services are a discrase.

AND SHUTTING DOWN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS A ‘PRIORITY?’

Most efficient and effective way to achieve a sustainable trajectory is to evolve a Fundamental Transformation of settlement patterns.

However, as pointed out in TRILO-G, that will not happen until there is Fundamental Transformation of both the governance structure and the economic system.

As pointed out in the Section 1.4 of CITIZEN MEDIA, THE NEXT STEP, until reality is understood by a majority of citizens and the processes is underway to achieve those Fundamental Transformations, citizens of the US will be not be happy or safe.

Charades and Causes will not address the problems, causes make them worse.

Full disclosure:

When Groveton first started to sing the praises of Paul Ryan, EMR printed out Ryan’s “A Roadmap for America’s Future” May 2008 (H.R. 6110) and read it from cover to cover. We just dug it out, it was filed away under the title “Saving Public Ryan.” From himself.

“A Road Map for America’s Future” is an historical artifact. If this WAS a roadmap it was a guide for the late 1940s. Citizens needed a pep talk, lest they lose confidence and abandon the rebuilding of Europe and Japan and stop applying the innovations and technology that evolved from 1870 to 1950.

Since then citizens of the US have been sharpening the points. From 1950 to the mid 70s ‘everyone’ benefitted. Since then only those at the top of the Ziggurat.

Anytime since the wake up call of 1973, Ryan provides a roadmap to Lemmings Cliff.

Along the way the signs read: “Buy More and More”, “Spend More and More – On Credit”, “Consume, Grow and Expand – The Cancer Cell is our Hero,” “Drive Here, There and Everywhere”, “Exploit Whatever You Can”. “What Great Grandchildren?” The road led from “Morning in America” to “Go Shopping” and on to “Next Stop, The Cliff.”

This is not a partisan issue. This is not a political spectrum issue. This is a survival of Civilization as it has been known issue. See ENOUGH? (Forthcoming)

Humans cannot “grow” out of problems they have created. They must Balance consumption with conservation and Balance competition with cooperation. The true Conservatism.

Fundamental Transformation must start with each Household understanding their best interest – individually and collectively.

Understanding must grow to shape the future of Dooryards, Clusters, Villages and Communities. It does not start with shutting down the federal government or with cutting taxes on those at the top of the Ziggurat.

The federal Agencies must spend less, but far MORE must be spent than the current total being spent at federal, state and municipal scales to provide Core Agency health, safety and welfare priorities.

Anyone who does not acknowledge this is just trying to ride the tiger one more hour, one more mile, to get one more perk.

Those willing to hack at federal programs before establishing a path for MegaRegions, Regions (See Mr. Bacon’s 5 April post on the Brookings Regional proposal — metro’s rule), SubRegions, Communities, Villages, Neighborhood and Cluster governance is putting all citizens and their future at risk. See ENOUGH? (Forthcoming)

EMR