Eliminating Medicare & SSA

So, Paul Ryan it is. And what is he best known for-- Elimination of Medicare. Now, see, he denies that. He says that he is simply attempting to open the program to “competition” in order to reduce its cost. Because we know that competition has worked out so well in the health insurance business.  I wonder whether Mr. Ryan is also going to include an identical voucher program for Congressional health insurance?  No, hmmm, isn’t that a surprise? I’m guessing that he also isn’t interested in capping/reducing the salary and retirement benefits for incumbent Congress-people to approximate, say, teachers.

Mainly, from what I can see, Mr. Ryan simply wishes to eliminate Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security in order to focus on his top priority--supporting the wishes of his owners. The first step is to replace the programs with “vouchers”, forcing people onto the prospective rolls of private insurers, who may or may not elect to insure them (remember pre-existing conditions??).  I’m not sure what he plans to do with Social Security. One thing republicans always like to propose is to “means-test” social security. See, that’s step 1 to eliminating it. First, you make it a program for the “less-well off.” Then you label it welfare. Then you refuse to increase the benefits to track cost of living. Then you place it in the care of someone like Michelle Bachman. Then you simply let it dry up on the vine.

So, Mr. Ryan is also now suggesting that Dems and the Prez refuse to do anything about the huge deficits created as a result of the republican tax cuts for the wealthy, the republican wars, and the republican-inspired recession that now resembles the one that occurred under Mr. Hoover, another standout republican.  I wonder whether Mr. Ryan voted for or against the Bush tax cuts? And I wonder whether Mr. Ryan voted for or against that war in Iraq—remember Iraq??? The war that Shrub didn’t have to start, but did, and that Obama ended?? That war?? And I wonder how Mr. Ryan reacted to all the gutting of the nation’s regulatory structure? And I wonder whether Mr. Ryan believes in global warming and its man-made origins—love to hear his conversations with the Koch bro’s on that one.

This will make a more interesting race than I had thought. A man of the rich party allied with a man who overwhelmingly supports the party of the rich. So, if Mr. Romney is, say, in the 0.1% group, maybe Mr. Ryan aspires to the 1% group. And we could call them the 1.1%’ers.  And for the rest, or maybe what’s left of the middle class and the lower classes . . .

“let’m eat cake”