Good post by Simon Johnson today, explaining why the Ryan budget is a "you're on your own" budget, diametrically opposed to the principle that government is there for us to work together to solve problems we can't solve on our own: http://baselinescenario.com/2012/05/03/mitt-romney-and-paul-ryans-budget...
"Before Medicare was created in the 1960s, there was no meaningful health-care insurance for older Americans – and there will be none after Medicare is phased out. For the private sector, this is a set of uninsurable risks.
The federal government provides a minimum level of social insurance to all of us, in case we outlive our assets and our families’ ability to support us. Mr. Ryan – and now perhaps Mr. Romney – would end this role."