Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Republican plan to end Medicare

Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Apr 5, 2011 at 12:37 PM

As Ernie Dumas explained earlier today, the Republican budget leadership has rolled out today nothing less than the end of Medicare as we've known it. It would be replaced by a voucher system that would cost seniors more money and ultimately, leave many with nothing. Aim: End it, don't mend it. Same for Medicaid, turned into a block grant program for the states, which would increasingly starve it.

Talking Points Memo explains. It's the same private accounts swindle that George W. Bush tried to employ to end Social Security. Democratic leaders in Congress beat Bush. Can Obama beat the Republicans in Congress. Krugman thinks not and that the problem is Obama. He STILL thinks everyone can get along.

But now the question: The Republican plan is on the table. Republican candidates for Congress in Arkansas would NOT talk about this during the campaign. Will they now? I'm seeking reaction to the Ryan plan from Reps. Griffin, Womack and Crawford. If anything turns up, I'll pass it along.

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Max, do you really expect something of substance from these cowardly jerks?

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Posted by Pavel Korchagin on 04/05/2011 at 1:19 PM

Actually, I'll be very surprised. But they're going to have to vote some day.

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Posted by Max Brantley on 04/05/2011 at 1:38 PM

We now have the Republican budget and we wait for a Democrat budget. Oh wait, we're still waiting for the last one.

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Posted by byates on 04/05/2011 at 1:45 PM

byates, I believe the House under the brilliant leadership of Nancy Pelosi did pass a budget. Senate rules (not the constitution) stopped the Senate from passing the budget because a sixty vote super majority was needed to stop a Republican filibuster. Get your facts right before you go spouting your BS.

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Posted by the outlier on 04/05/2011 at 2:02 PM

As long as Dems help GOPers feed the needless private insurance and non-negotiated pharma beast... these arguments will keep both parties/the nation from joining over 35 other countries who provide care for all for much, much less than we spend for the least care in the developed world.

when semi sane/sentient people continuously give these baggers attention while allowing dems to slide fascism right through the front door, without demanding obvious better proven solutions.... you've play right into both their paymasters hands.

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Posted by Eureka Springs on 04/05/2011 at 2:30 PM

I need to correct my comment above. Neither house passed a budget resolution. The House passed a deeming resolution. But the leadership of either house did not bring a budget resolution to the floor because they didn't have the votes---likely due to Blue Dogs and the 60 vote super majority required. Someone needs to check me on this.

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Posted by the outlier on 04/05/2011 at 2:50 PM

"The Republican plan to end Medicare"

And you may rest assured that Medicare will end the Republicans.

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Posted by Durango on 04/05/2011 at 2:53 PM

>>And you may rest assured that Medicare will end the Republicans. <<

You can see their devious strategy at work. First they go after AARP to silence
the largest Medicare-Social Security voice in the nation. Republican majority on the House Committee of Ways and Means are attempting to take away AARP's 501(c)(3) status.

I'm printing out Ryan's Plan to circulate to all Medicare Republicans I know, starting with a few family members who don't have a clue what Repubs have in store for them.

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Posted by eLwood on 04/05/2011 at 4:00 PM

Question: Why doesn't corporate America and the US Chamber of Commerce support single payer health care, thereby eliminating health insurance as a cost of doing business? I'm not talking about small, main street businesses here.

Answer: Because they are psychopathic assholes.

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Posted by the outlier on 04/05/2011 at 4:13 PM

Yup outlier, that and the fact there is a whole lot of non-existent leveraged money tied up in ponzi schemes... pull the rug out from insurance pyramid (remember AIG)... and a bunch if not all the psychopaths house falls... it will anyway, but this way, since the bipartisans are letting them, they take and keep us all down with them.

These guys can only keep looting, growing the unfettered capitalist ponzi like a malignant tumor or else it all falls apart.

I've planted 17 fruit trees (apple, cherry, pear, peach) today... think i may have to buy another acre.

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Posted by Eureka Springs on 04/05/2011 at 4:44 PM

Eureka, where did you buy your fruit trees?

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Posted by the outlier on 04/05/2011 at 4:52 PM

My boss (owner of a business employing about 25 people) would LOVE some sort of single-payer plan. He's been great trying to hold off increasing our premiums, but can only do so much. Why don't larger companies want to get out of the whole employer insurance morass?

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Posted by springdale_liberal on 04/05/2011 at 8:21 PM
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