’)So, in order to get the budget in order, Barack Obama has proposed rolling back the Bush tax cuts for the top 1%, going through the budget looking for waste, ending the multi-billion dollar war in Iraq, etc. John McCain, on the other hand, thinks that we should screw the poor and elderly by cutting Medicare and Medicaid. I’m not kidding.
The Republican presidential nominee has said little about the proposed cuts, but they are needed to keep his health-care plan “budget neutral,” as he has promised. The McCain campaign hasn’t given a specific figure for the cuts, but didn’t dispute the analysts’ estimate.
In the months since Sen. McCain introduced his health plan, statements made by his campaign have implied that the new tax credits he is proposing to help Americans buy health insurance would be paid for with other tax increases.
But Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Sen. McCain’s senior policy adviser, said Sunday that the campaign has always planned to fund the tax credits, in part, with savings from Medicare and Medicaid. Those government health-care programs serve seniors, poor families and the disabled. Medicare spending for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 is estimated at $457.5 billion.
John McCain: Secret agent of the left? It sure looks like it sometimes.
UPDATE: As “Poland” points out, I totally forgot – John McCain wants to privatize social security.
You forgot Social Security!
Most meta thing in this blog’s history.
So Barack wants to “go through the budget looking for waste” even though his track record says otherwise.
“Medicare sucks even though I’m getting government healthcare despite having a wife worth 100 mill”-John McCain
Good call, OW, linking to the WSJ article instead of the New Republic summary of it. TNR made a hash of it.
You know, I think it’s a good idea to pry health insurance away from employers. Employers don’t need the administrative headache and employees shouldn’t have to change carriers, and maybe even change doctors, just because their employment situation changes.
I have no great beef against the ideas included in the McCain plan–it’s what’s missing that troubles me. If, as predicted, the plan would prompt many employers to stop offering health benefits, what steps would be necessary to make sure families would be able to find affordable insurance on the open market?
It’s fine to insist that the invisible hand of the market will provide a solution, but the hand moves slowly. Some folks will need to see a doctor or go into the hospital after they lose their employer coverage and before a market-based solution appears.
I guess there’s always emergency rooms, eh?
More accurate SaveFarris: Look! Over there!!
“Savings” what an interesting way to not say cut. As evidenced by the first debate the only thing McCain feels the government should ever spend money on is war.
It’s fine to insist that the invisible hand of the market will provide a solution, but the hand moves slowly
The invisible hand of the free market needs to get bitch-slapped by the very visible hand of the voters.
We should just outlaw ALL healthcare, there are too many people around.
I have been very much against Obama. He sounds like the ruination of the american life.
So I was very much interested in voting for John McCain until I heard he was going to cut medicare. I am 70 years old and there are alot of things medicare does not cover now. I live on social security and I depend very much on medicaid and medicare.
The only solution I can come up with is just not to vote at all.It is very bad when there is not one man or woman in this country that is looking out for the people (all the people).