Entitlements Are Forever-The GOP's Medicare bill trades certain spending for speculative reform

Wall St Journal ^ | 11-20-03

[SJackson]

The GOP's free-market Medicare reformers are wondering what to make of their leadership's deal on a prescription drug benefit. Let us suggest one way of looking at it: as an awfully high price to pay for expanded Health Savings Accounts.

[SJackson]

Conservatives Should Vote 'Yes' on Medicare
The Medicare bill calls for decisive shifts in the health-care system, and it may be the most important vote in a conservative's career.
NEWT GINGRICH

[Always Right]

We had hopes that a GOP Medicare reform might do so, but this bill's fine print reveals that short-term politics has overwhelmed the policy. Republicans are offering the certainty of trillions in new entitlements in return for the mere promise of future reform, and that's too expensive a gamble for principled conservatives to support.

Yep, they will never be enough spines in the Senate to make those future reforms. The conservatives in the GOP need to team with the liberals (who are wrongly afraid the reforms might actually happen) and defeat this bill.

[Always Right]

they = there....

[KantianBurke]

What say you?

[nonliberal]

This sounds like a new game: Let's See Who Can Build the Biggest Welfare State!!!

Go Ted Go! Filibuster away.

[sourcery]

Yep: Just say no!

[.cnI redruM]

Gingrich should be hung by his nuts. A Laborite in 1970's Great Britain properly derided the Tories of his day as nothing more than the tax collectors for The Welfare State. Are conservatives put on Earth to fight fascism or just to run the trains more efficiently?

Yes, the vote on the Perscription Drug Panderation Act is the most important vote in a true conservative's legislative career.

[Pylot]

The Republicans behind this are relying on the ignorance of the people.

They will find one angry constituancy in older Americans who realize they have had their benefits reduced and their direct costs increased.

The Democrats know this are, although they are making noise, there will be no action.

The Republicans will eagerly cut their own throats.

[EQAndyBuzz]

I humbly disagree. This plan, if kicked off does not happen until later on in the decade. Democratic filibustering is exactly what the Republicans want.

The Reepubs are laying the groundwork for an overwhelming blitz in 2004, where the Rat candidates will be labeled anti senior, anti military, pro terrorist, racist and the like.

This is the precursor for conservatives to get the 60 senate seats needed to take back the country from the left.

[.cnI redruM]

It could happen....THe Dems as the anti-party. I kind of like that. But I still think this drug bill sucks on the fundamentals. That's the only problem here.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Tell me a bill that hasn't sucked? By the time these bills are passed, so much is taken out and added for pork that the President no longer knows what he is signing.

The fact that the AARP had input places the blame on them while at the same time alienating most of the RAT party.

You get what you pay for.