Republican Medicare, Republican socialism, massive Republican tax increase
By Brent Budowsky - 04/15/11 10:30 AM ET

The Republican attempt to destroy the highly popular Medicare program could defeat 30 or more Republican House members and lead to Democrats regaining control of the lower chamber.

The Republican attack on Medicare is a textbook case of Republicans clutching the third rail with both hands, escalating the blunders that have cost them dearly in elections before and alienating the voters with the kind of political theology and extremism that voters do not want and will not tolerate.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is a good and sincere man, but here is why his Medicare policy is radical and extreme.

Ryan would destroy and end Medicare. He would replace a government program with taxpayer-subsidized vouchers to pay price-gouging companies. Insurers would of course raise their premiums even higher, and by limiting the size of the voucher subsidies, Ryan is effectively proposing one of the largest middle-class tax increases in history.

When Ryan limits the size of his vouchers, and insurers jack up their premiums higher than the amount of the limited vouchers, consumers will pay the difference.

The real-life effect of the Republican policy is the same as a perpetual tax increase machine on Medicare recipients, to subsidize a perpetual windfall profits machine for price-gouging companies.

The far better solution would be to expand Medicare or enact a public option, which would lower healthcare costs for consumers and reduce the deficit for taxpayers, and enact reforms that end many forms of price-gouging that exist today and would become far worse under the Ryan plan.

The Republican attempt to destroy Medicare is a welfare program for insurers, an income transfer from taxpayers to price-gouging companies, and an effective tax increase imposed on Medicare recipients, with the revenue going to insurers.

Politically, based on most polls, this will be vehemently opposed by two-thirds to three-quarters of all voters.

Financially, Ryan would balloon healthcare costs even higher by empowering price- gouging companies to run amok. His plan would create huge windfall profits for insurers, paid for by hard-hit taxpayers. It would create a de facto and huge tax increase against Medicare recipients, to finance a social welfare state whose beneficiaries are insurance companies.

Where I come from this is called corporate socialism, a welfare state for wealthy companies, and a tax-and-spend Republicanism where the middle class is taxed and the wealthy get to spend the money.

This attempt to destroy Medicare will be an epic political disaster for Republicans in 2012.



http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/economy-a-budget/156285-republican-medicare-republican-socialism-massive-republican-tax-increase

DemocRATS wish to kill America and are doing a smashing job of it as I type this!

Republicans want to turn over one of the last vestiges of universal, life-saving health care to the private death panels. There is no rational argument to justify this beyond clever Frank Luntsisms like "DemocRATS wish to kill America and are doing a smashing job of it as I type this!"

they wont be able to justify taking from some sections while continuing 'entitlements' from others, there have to be unilateral cuts or you leave room for too many groups to feel picked on.


cutting back is one thing, cutting out is another,
Everyone is complaining about the debt, but as I have said numerous times, noone wants to be the ones to make the sacrifice to contribute to leveling it ....


increase in taxes across the board, would be so much more reasonable and less imposing,,,,but what do I know

Kill em all let god sort them out

huh..where was the first time the "death panels" came up recently? obamacare....

More republican lies. I will tell you something about death.

My father was on his death bead dieing of cancer. He had no way to survive. He was beyond help. Yet the Dr's wanted to do a surgary to help remove a tumor in his throat even though his lungs wouldnt even process the air he could breath. The basterds wanted to do some surgery to bill the insurence company or to give practise to a new dr or whatever their thinking was. He died Two hours later and that surgery wouldnt have given him one minute more of life or would have killed him outright in his current condition.

Someone does need to make some end of life decisions and I have a hard time trusting the motives of our "for profit" medical industry.

How the hell can the american people be so ignorant and fall so easily for corperate propaganda?

We learned a long time ago that when Republicans are accusing Democrats of something, they are only pointing fingers at the mirror.

you might have learned that, but it really means that the libs are trying to hide something or lie about it...

Axing Medicare and the like is not the way to save money on healthcare. It is better to promote healthy living and go to a
single payer healthcare system.

Old people still vote. In fact, probably more than young people.

And democrats want to kill babies. I ask what is the bigger crime?

Definitely killing old people.

I think that is a biased statement. Not that I'm calling you old or anything lol.

I am an old man, so yes. I have a little bit of a vested interest.

for the record

Im opposed to premeditated taking of any human life at any stage,,,,

That is an ignorant lie.

Of course, how could you not be, given your religious convictions. Your integrity remains unquestioned. I'm an atheist, so this is one area where we will differ.

Arizona, cut all transplant funding. No vote. Bit them on the AZZ. Reinstated the funding. After people started dieing.

That's why they cut out funding for kids in Arizona.