$491 billion less for geezers, and so what?
Jay Cost, in part quoting Dick Morris, wonders why the Democratic Party risks alienating the roughly 20% of the electorate that are senior citizens by rationing health care away from them:
This is the CBO’s analysis of how the Reid bill will cut Medicare. The total reductions come out to $491 billion over 10 years when everything is factored in…
“The elderly see his proposals for what they are: a massive redistribution of healthcare away from the elderly and toward a population that is younger, healthier and richer but happens, at the moment, to lack insurance. (Remember that the uninsured are, by definition, not elderly, not young and not in poverty — and if they are, they are currently eligible for Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP and do not need the Obama program.) The elderly see the $500 billion projected cut in Medicare through the same lens as they viewed Gingrich’s efforts to slice the growth in the program in the mid-1990s…”
Why are Obama, Pelosi, and Reid doing this? How could they be so foolish as to repeat the most egregious mistake of the Republicans of the 104th Congress? Why are they forcing their vulnerable members to vote on a bill that would cut Medicare in this fashion? Do they dislike their moderate colleagues? Do they find the chore of being the majority party too burdensome? Have they simply gone mad?
Well, no not mad, though we have come to appreciate in these last months how little our views of this country overlap with the left wing of the Democratic Party. No, they’re not mad at all — who would consider taking a $100 million payment for a Yes vote on Obamacare mad (and that’s just what goes to the state, not to the personal account)? It’s just good business, while justifying every sleazy move as a necessary part of remaking the country in the image and likeness of San Francisco once and for all.
November 21st, 2009 at 7:37 am
It is going to be interesting to see how the electorate reacts if this is passed in any form that we are hearing about. Dems are pushing their agenda like they can’t lose in next year’s election. Are they stupid, suicidal, or do they no something about the election process that the rest of us don’t?
November 21st, 2009 at 9:55 am
It’s quite simple–their belief is that if they can nationalize healthcare, little things like elections won’t really matter anymore. Once they can turn the entire health-care system into a patronage army, what can stop them? It’s the Chicago Way.
I’m not so sure it’s that simple, but that’s pretty clearly their motivation.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:16 am
A mob will do what, on reflection, none of its members would. I chalk this up to the madness of the crowd.
Election day will find a lot of them crying “What was I thinking?”