If you’re looking for something to do this weekend in Minneapolis, you should do like I did last night and check out the musical Avenue Q at the Mixed Blood Theater. Avenue Q won kudos on Broadway for its story about humans and puppets struggling to make something of themselves. It’s an adult-themed version of Sesame Street where everyone struggles with dating, money, and the ordinary disappointments of adulthood while belting out catchy numbers about casual racism, being gay, and (my favorite) schadenfreude. The Mixed Blood cast is uniformly great, both as actors and singers. Mixed Blood is a lot smaller than Broadway venues, but that intimacy imbues the actors and their puppets with a kind of genuineness that might seem forced on a big stage. The whole production is great fun and it should give Mixed Blood some well-deserved recognition as a theater company that can bring big, vibrant spectacle to a small stage.

I’m going to break my pledge on Monday to not talk about budget-related matters to give a few thoughts on Obama’s long-term budget plan that he set forth in his speech today:

• People already have pretty positive views of Medicare and Medicaid, but it was good of the President to remind everyone that this safety net is a contributing factor to this country’s greatness. It’s a stark contrast to the Republicans’ worldview of government as a hindrance to individuals’ aspirations. 
• I’m still not sure how he plans to reduce costs in Medicaid without cutting services. Medicaid already pays low rates to providers–sometimes too low to ensure access to needed services. I’ll reserve judgment until further details are released. 
• Republicans will have to tread carefully on the issue of taxing the wealthy. Most Americans are quite enthusiastic about the idea. Republicans did so well in 2010 because they were perceived as sympathetic to the concerns of everyday people. That could change if they aren’t nimble and willing to abandon their rigidity on the subject.
• Obama wants an agreement by June? Pfft. He might get a partial deal on spending reductions or some additional health care reforms, but both parties are going to resist any global agreement until after the election.

My mission for this week is to write five blog entries that don’t include the words “budget”, “health care”, or “policy”. I need to save my strength for the coming battles.

Instead, let’s talk about aliens. The Fermi Paradox asks this simple question: “If one assumes that the galaxy is teeming with intelligent life, then where is everybody?” According to one theory, the civilizations that keep to themselves and stay under the radar of the more aggressive civilizations are the ones that probably stand the best chance of enduring. The loudmouthed cultures are the ones that get invaded, pillaged, and turned into slave labor or snacks. If this theory turns out to be true, then humanity might want to constructing its battle armada now. That, or find a way to make our flesh taste like whatever substance aliens find really disgusting.

The federal government shutdown, if it happens, likely won’t last more than a few days. But it’s probably a sign of things to come over the next couple years. This batch of House Republicans are deeply conservative and a wide chasm separates their ideology with that of Senate Democrats and the President. Negotiations on any matter of substance are going to be difficult when the two sides have such opposing worldviews. Many of us wonkish types will probably look back at 2009-10 with wistful fondness as a time when government actually got things done. The solutions weren’t perfect, but they were serious efforts to address serious problems. We certainly won’t see much of that from the current Congress.

Yesterday we looked at how the proposed GOP budget cuts would affect Medicaid. Now we’ll look at Medicare, the federal health care program that provides health care to the elderly and people with disabilities. The proposal would end Medicare as it currently exists (but not for another 10 years, thus shielding Republican lawmakers from the immediate wrath of angry senior citizens). Medicare beneficiaries would be required to enroll in private health plans and would receive government vouchers to help pay for the insurance.

Hmm, this sounds awfully familiar. Hang on, I’ll think of it. Of course! It sounds like the plan envisioned for everyone else under the Affordable Care Act (or, to use the language of conservatives, Obamacare). Except that Republicans also want to repeal the ACA and only give vouchers to Medicare beneficiaries. And since Medicare beneficiaries are older and sicker than the general population, private insurers would charge higher rates to cover them. Government vouchers probably wouldn’t cover the full cost of the premiums, so beneficiaries would likely pay more than they do now for less generous benefits. Isn’t reform great?

I’m not saying that our debt problem isn’t serious and that adjustments to entitlements shouldn’t be part of of the solution. But the hard question that Paul Ryan’s hucksterism avoids is this: what is government’s role in caring for its most vulnerable citizens? Without question, caring for me or your grandma or your nephew with autism is expensive. Republicans would have you believe that “reforming” these programs through spending cuts alone won’t harm the people who depend on these programs. The only reasonable conclusion to draw from their claims is that they are either stupid or lying. Neither possibility gives me much hope that we can expect a reasoned policy debate.