A sneak preview of BarryCare’s “death panels” – in book form, distributed to….one of the Left’s favorite demonizable demographics:     Evidently, “supporting the troops” includes “doctors hav[ing] to discuss end-of-life decisions whe…

there’s so much wrong in your comment, and I’m so tired, that I can’t even tackle it, beyond saying that Santorum is just another big government, “compassionate,” big-spending social conservative.

I don’t want nanny government wiping my nose, especially when they charge me thousands of dollars to do it.

The solution is that current and future generations need to be somehow gradually moved out of these schemes and into HSA’s and privatized solutions. Then Medicare and Social Security would eventually be terminated,

Of course, this would be difficult considering that Medicare and Social Security are indeed ponzi schemes.

Medicare isn’t solely supporting the elderly. An easy rebuttal would be cutting care for people under the age of 50, and not touching the care for people over 50.

Or something along those lines.

Frankly I wouldn’t mind seeing it cut in those age ranges, but then I’m not a big fan of free medical care.

Say what you will, but if these programs just ceased to exist millions of Americans would not only suffer, their families would as well.

Imagine all the comfortable middle class people who would cease to be comfortable or middle class if they had to fork over thousands of dollars a month to take care of their own family members.

I mean, I want medicare and social security to end. They are ponzi schemes, and forcing me to pay into them is criminal.

Well… the facts are there. Obama WILL cut medicare spending to fund young people’s insurance. It’s in the bill and he’s said so himself.

Skywise on August 24, 2009 at 3:42 PM

No, No, No…grandma loves her grandkids, this argument MUST be cutting Medicare funds to give to the ILLEGALS and explain how that will happen. GRANDMA against PEDRO! That’s the winning formula!

He made the point that the Bushies wanted Health Savings Accounts and Medicare Advantage, the public/private plan that Ed Morrisey has spoken well of. In order to get those plans there had to be some concessions on a drug plan. But the GOP insisted that the plan be a discount program and not a giveaway and that the government not be negotiating directly with drug companies. The Democrats did not much like that.

Now today, the Democrats want to get rid of Health Savings Accounts and Medicare Advantage and they want to negotiate with drug companies. They also want to close the socalled donut hole where seniors pay higher bills.

The truth is the plan has cost the government less than critics said it would. And it has helped bring down drug prices. For instance, it was because of this program that Wal-Mart started its $4 drug plans.

And before people say we need to get rid of it, keep this in mind. If the government tries to cut this program out, the people at these townhalls will be just as angry about that as they are Obama’s plans.

There are other ways to make cuts in the program, but the truth is when people trying to live on a thousand dollars a month are spending half of that on drugs, it creates more problems for the health care system and with those problems come costs.

If nothing else, maybe it is time to stop protecting big Pharma from cheap imports. After all, they turned on the GOP and went with Obamacare, why protect them? If there was more competition in the market maybe people could better afford the medicine without help.

My issue is not Medicare…though I am not a fan of it, I understand baby steps. However, I do not like the direction that Mike took, which is to call it a right…that is by beef.

So, Michael, welcome to the part-tay!

Conservative Voice on August 24, 2009 at 5:25 PM

If the Medicare system is the full extent of Socialism we have to endure. I’ll take that over what’s being forced on us now. To say “Hey we stopped Socialism at Medicare” would be a good thing. Do you agree?

the crisis will be severe enough that even Democrats will be forced to support drastic measures

What types of drastic measures are the Democrats going to be forced to support?

kelley in virginia on August 24, 2009 at 5:21 PM

No, I do not think it needs any Bells and Whistles. Americans will take short and simple over 10,000 pages congess has not read.

Don’t call it a right…honor the contract made with people who paid into it, and allow people to opt out, and be reimbursed for the money put in.

Yes, you can come up with a health care plan that is conservative. But not a government run plan, or a mandated plan ( aka Romney care, don’t care that the heritage foundation approved it, its socialism ). Tort reform, health savings accounts, allow insurance to be bought cross state lines, allow policies to be written as 20 year blocks, allow insurance to offer plans that doesn’t pay for basics…just major items, because the more the patient pays directly the lower the costs.

I can’t speak for everyone else; My Idea is that If the Patient’s Bill of Rights was something Like;
1. We will not raid Medicare to thrust new Bureaucracies on Americans.
2. If you have paid into Medicare it will be there waiting for you when you need it.
3. Socialized medicine will not happen in America

I don’t think that is too much to ask for from a Patient’s Bill of Rights