Smock & Gauze: New Medicare expansion supported by big spending Republicans

This is a pretty good deal for Bush. He gets to look like he's doing something for seniors and can take away steam from people like Gephart, who's a big advocate for these kinds of things.
 
The cynical side of me says that their trying to cover their arses by showing that they care for the homeland.

But, whatever their motive, its good to see someone caring about Medicare.
 
Bah. Maybe people need to realize the virtue of frugality and stop depending on the government. I care not for this plan.
 
Its a horrible plan because instead of focusing on actually SOLVING the problem, by, say, bringing up anti-dumping issues at the WTO AGAINST the U.S. corporations that price discriminate in secondary markets at the cost of higher drugs in the U.S., it just throws money at them.

It doesn't address any of the other issues bleeding out of Medicare either. Just a new spending program to benefit seniors financed on the backs of future workers (that is us). This is quite possibly more stupid than tax cuts.
 
It's just a way to placate liberals who go for this sort of thing.
 
What does Bush gain out of placating liberals? He is not going to get their votes anyway. He is trying to 'triangulate' Clinton-style, and I hope/pray/wish his base of anti-tax & spend conservatives are as anti-spending as they are anti-tax.
 
This is all leverage, guys. Bush is pushing some liberal legislation to get reelected, and to take some attention away from the pickle-up-his-ass conservative that he's going to nominate for the SC, while at the same time taking an important issue away from the Dems. If it wasn't for his use of the military and his tax cuts, Bush would be nothing more than a garden-variety lib.

IMO, he's doing too much to appeal to as many people as possible. It may work, politically, but it is a huge gamble with the country's future. Lowering taxes, albeit by a small percentage, while increasing spending seems like a recipe for almost guaranteed disaster. I am personally strongly opposed to this legislation, and may do what I never thought I'd do and actually vote for a 3rd paty candidate in 2004. As supportive as I've been of his foreign policy, his domestic policy is completely illogical and serves no purpose other than strengthening his voter base. Such a turn-off for anyone with a brain.
 
I just love the spin everyone has been putting on the legislation Bush keeps pushing for. "The tax cuts will help everyone!" When it doesn't help a large percentage of lower income families.
"These drug benefits will help the seniors" When all that's going to happen is drug companies along with others will get more.
How much crap can the American public buy into? I really hope this backfires because I'm getting tired of all this.
 
As a person who comes from a country that a long time ago got past this sort of debate I am of course a bit baffled... but to enlighten Americans, I have to state that of course people's needs must come first. Come on... should a country really leave someone without neccessary medication? It's totally ludicrous to suggest that a person be left without needed treatment!

When it comes to "rewarding work", certainly I will let yuppies drive their BMW's if that is their meaning of life, but refusing medical care?? Get real... I certainly hope the EU parliament doesn't bend over when we get news headlines in the style of "USA demands EU abandon basic social security"...
 
Well, you know us backwards Americans. Heyuck.

Perhaps you didn't read the article closely enough, or perhaps you don't know how much we pay for prescription drugs because our are, well, better and far more expensive. The concept of 'necessary' medication has gone through a little expansion in the last decade becoming a few infinite times more encompassing and hence expensive. All, of course, absolutely necessary even though they survived without it before, in the matters of life or death people don't compromise.

What pisses me off the most is the amount of price discrimination that goes on in the market. Here we are charged twice, sometimes more, than other countries by drug companies who know they can get away with it. Instead of the government enforcing existing pricing regulations they decided to subsidize the practice by paying for the drugs :eek: Which by extend, is subsidizing some countries cheap medication.

So, perhaps instead of being critical you should be thankful :yeah:
 
Originally posted by Greadius
Is it a complete 180 for political opportunism or 'compassionate conservatism' in action?
Click to expand...
How about both? Its vote buying pure and simple. The Democrats did it for a generation, now its their turn to be hypocrits. In part its stealing a page from Clinton's years: coopting the oponents ideas to claim credit.
Originally posted by CurtSibling
Not my place to comment on a purely American issue.
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Has this stopped you before, or is it a new experience?

J
 
I`ve been in existance on this Earth for almost 22 years and throughout all that time, one of the things I`ve learned is that the government is always going to try and take more money from and never do anything for, me.
 
Originally posted by onejayhawk
How about both? Its vote buying pure and simple. The Democrats did it for a generation, now its their turn to be hypocrits. In part its stealing a page from Clinton's years: coopting the oponents ideas to claim credit.
Click to expand...
It was called triangulating :p

But what Clinton did was build consensus using the divisions in Congress to base his position, which is a sign of good leadership, not political opportunism. As a benefit of any marriage to ideology, it wasn't betraying any foundations to reform welfare or the like.

Bush, on the other hand, preaches against the exact programs he just grew. Privatize social security? How about we privatize prescription drug care for seniors... again...

For Democrats, that type of vote buying in the guise of income redistribution/social safety net has been the closest to a base ideology they've had. Republicans are supposed to buy votes with tax cuts.

Originally posted by John-LP
I`ve been in existance on this Earth for almost 22 years and throughout all that time, one of the things I`ve learned is that the government is always going to try and take more money from and never do anything for, me.
Click to expand...
Well, not until you're old when they'll bend over backwards for you financing on those scourging masses of non-voting people also known as 25 and under. For people that bellyache so much its embarrassing how little activism we do.
 
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