Senate Republicans had to put up or shut up as Democrats brought the Republican budget proposal to the floor for a vote. The measure was defeated, but five Republicans voted against it — four because the proposed changes to Medicare went too far, and one because it didn’t go far enough. Expect the Democrats to bludgeon the GOP with this during the 2012 election.
Abortion Bush Campaign Finance Cheney Climate Clinton Congress Conservatives Corporations Corruption Deficits Democrats Drugs Economy Education Election Elections Energy Environment Fox News Gays Guns Health Immigration Lies McCain Media Middle East Obama Palin Protests Racism Religion Republicans Romney Spying Supreme Court Taxes Tea Party Terrorism Terrorists Torture Trump Unemployment War
4 Comments
You know, I’m getting tired of the almost universal message of entitlements vs no entitlements. What about priorities? Do we really need to spend billions on unfunded world police actions? Give tax breaks to businesses to ship our jobs elsewhere? The conventional wisdom about our choices HAS to change!
I totally agree. I see no reason to cut Medicare. In fact, I’d like to extend it to everyone (so we have single-payer health insurance). I’d rather raise taxes — that would actually save most people money compared to what they spend on health insurance.
The Republicans weren’t worried about deficits when they rammed Medicare Part D down Congress’s throats, which was a huge giveaway to the drug companies. Or when they stated multiple expensive wars (one of them completely stupid). They are just hypocrites.
The issue with entitlements is not that they are bankrupting our economy or that we are somehow promoting laziness. The reason they are being so hotly contested is that they are a clear wedge issue that both sides can use to define themselves in a debate. And since it’s being thrown around in the media, few people are questioning other cuts, such as defense spending, oil subsidies, or tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.
Then there is Vermont who is going to Universal Health care all by itself:”We gather here today to launch the first single-payer health care system in America, to do in Vermont what has taken too long – have a health care system that is the best in the world, that treats health care as a right and not a privilege, where health care follows the individual, isn’t required by an employer – that’s a huge jobs creator,” Shumlin said.
Notice about taking health care out of the workplace creates jobs.