Why don’t Repubs try to repeal Medicare?
July 30th, 2009 at 09:18am Pat Cunningham
Back in the 1960s, conservative Republicans of that time WARNED that Medicare was a socialistic scheme that would ruin America — the same kind of alarmism that their ideological progeny are employing today in arguing against health-care reform.
So, a question arises: If those right-wingers of the ’60s were correct, why don’t today’s Republicans seek to repeal Medicare?
Answer: Such a move would be political suicide. Americans don’t want Medicare repealed.
In other words, those right-wingers of yore were wrong. And their ideological descendants of today are wrong, too.
POSTSCRIPT: Silly as it seems, some folks apparently don’t understand that Medicare is a government program.
Witness the guy at a recent town hall meeting in South Carolina who admonished his representative in Congress to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.” (Read about it HERE.)
Oh, and then there was the time nine years ago when George W. Bush, while campaigning for president, warned against Democrats who “want the federal government controlling the Social Security like it’s some sort of federal program.” (Read about it HERE.)
UPDATE: Nate Silver has a FEW THOUGHTS of his own regarding Medicare and health-care reform, including this observation:
To compare the President’s current reform efforts to Medicare is for all intents and purposes a Democratic talking point. That Republicans saw fit to include it in what was surely supposed to be a boffo editorial outlining their new plan suggests that they may talk their way out of stopping health care reform yet.
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14 Comments Add your own
1. Richard | July 30th, 2009 at 9:46 am
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1202767/I-afford-live-healthily-says-600-month-benefits-woman-lost-weight-free-gastric-band-surgery.html
You are right Pat. We would hate upset the voters who share your same political views.
2. Richard | July 30th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Here is the mindset we are working so ahrd on:
A 25-year-old unemployed woman who was given an £8,000 operation to help her lose 16 stone is complaining because, as well as her weight loss, her benefits have been reduced.
Laura Ripley, who has never worked, was given the operation on the NHS to help her slim down from 38 to 22 stone.
But the 25-year-old, who receives £600 a month in benefits, is unhappy because as a result of losing weight she can no longer claim disability allowance amounting to an extra £340 a month.
This, she says, means she cannot afford to eat healthily - causing her to pile the weight back on.
‘I can’t afford to buy WeightWatchers crisps and cereal bars any more so I eat Tesco’s chocolate bars and packets of Space Invaders crisps, sometimes four of each a day’, says Laura, who spends seven hours a day watching TV.
‘People ask why I don’t snack on an apple - they’re cheap, but emotionally I don’t always feel like an apple.’
The disability allowance money she used to receive was spent on gym workouts, healthy food and having her hair highlighted.
She adds: ‘Without my disability allowance I’m left with just £210 incapacity benefit which I get because of my depression, and £100 income support I receive every two weeks and out of that I have to give them back £70 towards the cost of the £500-a-month flat I’m living in.’
Since the extra allowance stopped Laura has put on a stone in just three weeks and claims she is being treated unfairly.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1202767/I-afford-live-healthily-says-600-month-benefits-woman-lost-weight-free-gastric-band-surgery.html#ixzz0MkqrQJOa
3. Pat Cunningham | July 30th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Richard: I would love to respond to your comments — if I knew what the hell you’re talking about. What does the crap to which you’ve linked have to do with Medicare? And what could you have meant with this line?: “You are right Pat. We would hate upset the voters who share your same political views.”
Communication skills are not your long suit, are they? That’s why you’re a right-winger.
4. Chuck Sweeny | July 30th, 2009 at 10:23 am
He’s a Brit. (My heritage.) They haven’t gotten anything right since World War II, and I’m even excluding Monty from the victory celebration.
5. Chuck Sweeny | July 30th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Pat,
By the way, the Conservative Party is in charge of Canada right now, under PM Stephen Harper. Although I’ve heard some reports that they secretly want to privatize the health care system there, that’s not what they’re saying in their party platform, which you can access at: http://www.conservative.ca/EN/4739/78188
6. Mike Carroll | July 30th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Lets see if I have this right-Conservatives were wrong in the 60’s for criticizing Medicare which they accurately predicted would become the unsustainable train wreck that it is today and should align with liberals today to pass Obamacare which will allow the country to double down on another fiscally destructive federal entitlement? Have I got that right?
There are times that I would swear that I live in an “Alice in Wonderland” world.
7. Pat Cunningham | July 30th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Mike Carroll: Medicare has become an “unsustainable train wreck”?
In reality, the growth in per-person spending for Medicare has been significantly slower than private health insurance over the past 20 years, and its advantage has widened in recent years.
8. Pat Cunningham | July 30th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Mike Carroll: Here’s more detail on the point I was making in the previous comment: Since 1970, Medicare costs per beneficiary have risen at an annual rate of 8.8% — but insurance premiums have risen at an annual rate of 9.9%. The rise in Medicare costs is just part of the overall rise in health care spending. And in fact Medicare spending has lagged private spending: if insurance premiums had risen “only” as much as Medicare spending, they’d be 1/3 lower than they are.
But, if you want to champion the status quo, Michael, go right ahead.
9. Neftali | July 30th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Pat - One big fat word for ya, DEFICIT.
The reason why the growth in per-person spending for Medicare has been significantly slower than private health insurance is that government is arbitrarily setting the prices that don’t reflect the market. In other words, insurance companies would go bankrupt if they ran their operation like the government. Instead the government just accumulates more debt.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jun/25/barack-obama/obama-says-medicare-and-medicaid-are-largest-defic/
The government is very, very poor at managing budgets, and thus they have no business (pun intended) competing in the private marketplace.
10. Mike Carroll | July 30th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
It appears that Neftali has more than adequately responded for me.
11. mike | July 30th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Liberals do not understand the BASICS of business. You have to turn a PROFIT. You can’t just PRINT money. That makes money WORTHLESS. You will need a wheelbarrow if Osama continues this. See Weimar Republic in the 1920’s. for reality.
12. unmanager | July 30th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/kristol-admits-stewart-government-run-h
ANOTHER American “socialized medicine” program…classic Kristol….
13. Richard | July 30th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Pat, I know that you have trouble understanding entitlements. What that article showed was that the woman spends 7 plus hours a day watching TV living off of entitlements. The fact is that she takes no responsibility for her own actions but her weight gain again is because of the government cut her welfare check.
Now if she spent 7 hours a day looking for a job? Maybe she would not have time to get so fat eating Tesco’s chocolate bars and packets of Space Invaders crisps.
Pat , you are trying to use this Medicare to push your fascist Oboma health care plan as you do with all your other entitlement programs. Oh the poor pitiful poor right? This just goes to show the type of character that you elitist trend of thought breeds. We already have generations of those who spend their lives on entitlements and you want more?.
Neftali is right on the money when he brings up the word that you seem not to be able to grasp. DEFICIT!!
I am aware that my post was off topic but it shows again when you reward people for doing nothing, they will continue to do nothing.
14. Nelson | July 30th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
DEFICIT??????
You Conservatives are choosing NOW to complain about the deficit?
After eight years of George W. Bush, who never placed a veto on a spending bill, you choose now to complain about the deficit??????
Unbelievable.
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