"House Republicans just released their substitute budget for FY 2010. It is a very extreme right-wing plan for America. The ideas contained in this proposal are so far out of the mainstream that you have to wonder not just what planet these people are from, but whether they’ve been sent by the Galactic Empire to destroy our civilization.

"The GOP plan would rescind the recently-enacted economic stimulus package, which would cause America—and the world—to spiral into Depression.

"The GOP plan would hand over nearly $4 trillion in tax cuts to the rich.

This proposal would make permanent George Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for the rich and provide an alternative system with only two tax rates (10 percent applying to the first $50,000 in income, and a top rate of 25 percent applying to all income after that) which would be even more generous to the rich. 

"The GOP plan would freeze non-defense, non-veteran spending for five years.

That means no new investments in health care, energy, education, or national infrastructure. At best, our economy would stagnate. At worst...well, this is the same strategy that Herbert Hoover tried.

"The GOP plan would privatize Medicare.

Over time, this proposal would turn Medicare into a voucher system in which seniors would get a check from the government and would be told to go buy private insurance. In the absence of federal cost controls (which are part of the Democratic but not the Republican program), health costs would skyrocket and the voucher amount would quickly fall far behind the cost of insurance. Obviously, seniors who couldn’t afford to pay more out-of-pocket would become under-insured and insurance companies would make out like bandits.

"The GOP plan would cut Social Security.

This proposal comes out for “means testing” Social Security benefits, but it does not specify which income groups would feel the cuts."

Now let's compare that to the Democratic Party's Congressional Progressive Caucus budget that Isaiah J. Poole writes about at Campaign for America's Future: 

"The Progressive Caucus alternative budget will be introduced on the House floor as early as this afternoon.. It is a wonderful demonstration of progressive principles in action.

Here are some highlights, from the CPC's "Dear Colleague" letter:

• Elimination of unneeded, unwanted, and unproven Cold War Era weapons systems ($60 billion/year);
• Elimination of waste, fraud, and abuse at DOD. ($8.7 billion/year);
• Redeployment of all U.S. troops and military contractors out of Iraq ($90 billion);
• Repeal of Bush tax breaks for the top 1% of taxpayers ($222 billion);
• Instituting "Make Wall Street Pay For Wall Street's Bailout" tax of .25% on all stock transactions ($150 billion/year);
• Closing egregious corporate tax loopholes ($100 billion/year);and
• Cap on tax deductibility of excessive executive compensation ($20 billion/year).
• Provides $991 billion for non-military discretionary spending in FY10, $469 billion above President Obama's request, primarily to help rescue the faltering U.S. economy and those Americans hardest hit;
• Provides $479 billion as sufficient defense spending level;
• Provides a strong economic stimulus package of $300 billion that includes an extension of unemployment insurance, an increase in assistance for food stamps, transportation infrastructure, school construction, water and flood control projects;
• Provides $120 billion a year for health care for all Americans; and
• Provides $1.22 trillion to cut the poverty rate in half over the next decade."

It's obvious that the Republican Party is the party of government of, by, and for the wealthy.

The progressives in the Democratic Party,  in contrast to the ConservaDems and Blue Dogs that are Republicans pretending to be Democrats, believe in the common good and government of, by, and for the people.