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I think President Obama spoke the best line in the debate last night. Call it a “zinger” if you want.
“If you’re 54 or 55, you might want to listen.”
Again and again Mitt Romney talked about how under his Medicare plan there would be no changes for “current retirees.” He stressed that, without explaining what that means.
“What I support is no change for current retirees and near-retirees to Medicare.”
This is about the Republican plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program. If you are 54 or 55, you need to learn about that. In fact everyone should learn about that. Another word for the plan is “bamboozle.”
Republicans want to “save money” by changing Medicare. What they mean is they want the government’s share to be lower, and then even lower. But there is a problem with this. Reducing what the government pays does not reduce the need for health care — or the cost. So what happens is that the cost is not “reduced” it is just shifted. The people who need the health care have to pay more and more. And the ones without money to pay more … well …
On a related note, have you ever seen The Music Man?
River City faces a terrible deficit, and if we don’t cut spending on the things We, the People do for each other right now, there will be trouble. We gotta do some austerity! We gotta eat that seed corn. We gotta stop taxing the 1% and stop paying for things the 99% need!
One more thing. I’m not sure John Kerry was the best choice for debate coach. And please, I don’t mean try Michael Dukakis for the next one.
🙂
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