As you can see, cherished senior friends, Obamacare might very well be the sign of the beast, and it will only get worse. In 2014, states will open exchanges that offer competitive, private, insurance plans. Also on those exchanges will be at least one non-profit insurance option, and funds will be provided that will support member-owned insurance co-ops at the state level.
Read the rest of this entry »Conservatives And Original Thinking
The problem, of course, is that it isn’t 1993 anymore; politics isn’t about problem-solving anymore, it is about winning. To make matters worse, it appears that conservatives have abandoned any pretense of creativity or reason in their approach to leadership. Reminiscent of Henry Ford’s position on customer choice (you can have the Model-T in any color you want, as long as its black), conservatives are willing to use any means to solve national problems, as long as the solution is a tax cut.
Read the rest of this entry »Twisting The Medicare Debate
Paul Ryan and the Republicans are upset. They are fighting mad that Democrats have framed his budget blueprint as the destruction of Medicare, and even more furious that the public is buying the argument. The problem, for Republicans, is that the basic points being hammered on by the Democrats are exactly correct; the Ryan Plan does destroy Medicare as we know it, it does raise costs of delivery to seniors after implementation, and it will result in millions of uninsured or underinsured seniors.
Read the rest of this entry »False Advertising
Please note that, with no adjustment, Social Security will be able to pay 75% benefits through 2085. The structure of the trust fund means that the baby boom generation will be taken care of, so long as the cynical deficit hawks aren’t allowed to raise the age or slash benefits. It is my generation that can look forward to reduced benefits…but no bankruptcy.
Read the rest of this entry »The Boehner Protocols
Think what you will about John Boehner, the presumptive Speaker of the House stands as the most powerful opposition leader in American political history. The party discipline enforced by the pugnacious Ohio Republican meant that Democrats with a massive majority were forced to sweat out intra-party compromises to get measures passed in the House. The imagery presented to Americans of a unified Republican House standing in opposition to measures that were always (according to the Minority Leader) “forced down our throats”, cost untold electoral damage to the Democrats in 2010.
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