Report: Super Committee Democrats Caving On Medicare Benefits Cuts (Tax hikes + Cuts to providers)

Business Insider ^ | Oct. 26, 2011 | Zeke Miller

[Qbert]

Breaking on Reuters citing Congressional sources close to the "Super Committee": U.S. DEMOCRATS PROPOSE AROUND $400 BILLION IN MEDICARE CUTS; HALF IN BENEFIT CUTS, HALF IN PROVIDER SAVINGS-SOURCES

Reuters is also reporting that Democrats are seeking to cut $2.5 trillion to $3 trillion from the deficit — double the Super Committee's mandate.

[Snip]

The plan reportedly includes a near 50-50 split of spending cuts and revenue increases.

[Qbert]

From the Reuters article:

"According to congressional sources, the plan includes a roughly equal mix of spending cuts and revenue increases; between $200 billion and $300 billion in new economic stimulus spending that would be paid for with lower interest payments from reducing deficits; and around $400 billion in Medicare savings, with half coming in benefit cuts and the other half in cuts to healthcare providers..."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/26/us-usa-debt-supercommittee-democrats-idUSTRE79P5AR20111026

[greatvikingone]

News plants so dems can blame republicans. Time for new tactics.

[Qbert]

Yep. Business Insider makes it look like the Dems are hardcore budget cutters making this great sacrifice... by proposing massive massive tax increases and doing what they already planned on months ago.

[Dick Bachert]

These morons ALWAYS go after the things that do the most harm to citizens here.

Here’s MY list:
CUT OUT ALL FOREIGN AID — EVEN THAT GOING TO CHINA!
(These idiots are so deeply into the corrupt K Street culture and are so routinely bought off themselves that they think this country can BUY friends.)
ELIMINATE THE EPA!
ELIMINATE THE DOEs (EDUCATION AND ENERGY— both of ‘em)!
IDENTIFY AND FIRE ALL THE MARXISTS AND PROGRESSIVES AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT. That should pare it down so where an all employee meeting could be held in a broom closet.)
LIMIT CONGRESSIONAL STAFF TO 3 PER MEMBER. (One guy to say “yes” all the time, one guy to say “no” all the time and one guy to make coffee, go out for pizza and flip a coin before each vote.)
LIMIT CONGRESS TO A MAXIMUM OF 3 MONTHS IN ACTUAL SESSION IN DC AND REQUIRE THEM TO STAY IN THEIR DISTRICTS/STATES THE OTHER 9, CONDUCTING ANY BUSINESS BY INTERNET FROM 535 DISTRICT “ELECTRONIC COTTAGES.”

And those are just for starters.

[algernonpj]

I'm with you. Long before I's cut benefits to seniors and military veterans, I'd eliminate the hundreds of million spent on:

Anchor babies, illegals, new immigrants, and their respective extended families,
Fixing up ramshackle Mexican trucks that will put Americans out of work,
Sponsoring green technology overseas,
Paying college tuition for students from China,
Setting up the Moslem Brotherhood and al-Quaeda in Libya and Egypt,
Setting up CDC labs overseas,
Paying for post doctoral degrees for Indian scientists,
Billions in tax credits for illegals from the IRS,
Subsidizing Palestinian terrorists,
Funding the Taliban and other terrorist organizations in Afghanistan,
Millions for Oregon Forestry companies to hire foreign workers

And this is just a start.

[Recovering_Democrat]

No taxes. Cut spending? You betcha. But not a dime in new taxes. Unless they want to put some kind of tax on the 47% of free loaders at the bottom of the economic scale who aren’t paying anything.

[fella]

Same old ‘Rat plan used to fool Reagan, Tax hikes now for maybe some spending cuts later, only later never comes.

[grumpygresh]

C’mon. We all know what will happen. We have seen this re-run before. There will be an impasse with no tax increases (good) or benefit cuts (bad). They will simply run out of money and ask for a debt ceiling rise.
You cannot kill sacred cows prior to an election.

[sr4402]

"revenue increases" = Tax Hikes.

Yes, same old trick the Republicans better not fall for again.

The Dems will blame the Republicans for any tax hikes, in the next election, even if the Democrats Sponsored the Tax Hikes

[silverleaf]

So

half the democrat solution is to raise taxes so MEDICARE costs us more

the other half of the solution is to pay providers less so they won’t take us as patients

Yeah, that’’ll work (sarc)