Obama Blasts Romney-Ryan Medicare Plan - Ryan on Medicare Speech to Seniors in Florida 2012 – Flashback: 1999 Ryan Bill to Protect Seniors

2012 VP Candidate Paul Ryan with Mother, Betty, speaks before huge crowd in FL on Medicare! - Crowd size visible on Real Clear Politics Video in link Paragraph 3 - image csmonitor.com


President Obama, on the stump for re-election has charged that the Romney-Ryan Medicare plan would hurt seniors due to the voucher system that is included in the plan. (AP) That may be news to Romney and Ryan as that has not been the intent of either man – rather, they are proposing a plan that would insure those 55 and older continue to receive benefits without any changes, while those under 55 would have a choice of either staying with traditional Medicare, or buying insurance that would be subsided, based on income, in an open market (where one would have the choices that Federal employees have as to health care providers, not limited by states). As the DNC talking points continue to insist that the Romney Ryan Plan is going to cut Senior Benefits, Ryan is talking to seniors about how the Obama Health Care Act includes drastic cuts to Medicare (Billions), and also includes the installation of a panel of bureaucrats which will decide further cuts, as well as care decisions. (Which is true under the Health Care Affordability Act).

In general elections Medicare is generally brought up by Democrats in mailings and advertisements telling seniors that if they vote for a Republican, they will lose their benefits, and in general elections of the past, politicians, including Bill Clinton, have avoided the big issue of Medicare in elections Philadelphia Inquirer Archives Sept.15, 1996., based on polling data – the same was true of Bob Dole, the GOP candidate who ran unsuccessfully against Clinton that year.

However Ryan, in his speech to seniors in Florida, suggested that the plan he and Romney proposed is based on one similar to Bill Clinton’s.video here at realclearpolitics.com. In fact, in 2011 there was a brief meeting between President Clinton and Paul Ryan in which the dire situation of Medicare was discussed as Clinton hoped the Democrats would not “do anything” Watch on You-Tube.com here

Ryan is not new to the Medicare Debate, and has been trying to protect seniors since entering Congress – from the Milwakuee Journal Sentinel Headline February 7 1999 “Janesville Republican’s Bill Would Shield Current Benefits from Cuts” - Ryan stated: “No matter what other reforms need to be made to make the program solvent in the future, there will be no change to current or soon to be retirees” he said..

Although in most general elections this would be political suicide, regardless of party, to bring up any changes to entitlement programs, even if they are designed to save a program – it is so much easier for those running for office, or those in office, to use it as a political football, and then kick it down the road. In this election there is more at stake, as the Medicare Program is gutted under the current Health Plan and melded with Medicaid, furthermore, that panel of bureaucrats who would cut services to seniors, does so without consent of Congress. For those seniors on Medicare or those 55 and older, this cannot be comforting. Individuals who have paid into Medicare all of their lives, should have some benefits at the least when they retire and are booted off traditional insurance. In this election, Romney and Ryan are at least proposing ideas to salvage the system and replace what is surely unfair to seniors with a program that protects them.

What is normally not ground for discussion on a GOP ticket, or even a DNC ticket, has come to the forefront – with Ryan’s understanding of policy and budget structure, his warnings, if unheeded may have dire consequences ten years from now. It remains to be seen if the millions of seniors that vote each year, as well the millions of baby-boomers nearing retirement, will take the chance that the Democrats will “protect” their benefit, while Republican’s will take the benefits away. If Seniors are paying attention, then the unthinkable may happen and the Democrats stand to lose yet another “group” that normally is in their back pocket.

Obama Job’s Bill Includes Huge Cuts to Medicare and Increase to Oil Fees in Attempt to Extend Unemployment Benefits through November.

Greek Riots in Greece - With continued spending this could be Washington. photo zimbio

Apparently, in a measure to reduce the jobs bill by $50 Billionwhich includes cuts to Medicare reimbursement to physicians, and increase in oil fees, and a reduction of one month in unemployment benefit extensions. The bill, with an original price tag of $190 billion, cut one vital program and increased a tax that will impact the price of oil, in order to attract enough votes from so called “moderates” in order to push another huge spending bill through Congress before the June recess.

The cut in Medicare payments to physicians is most worrisome to seniors, and the physicians who are at the receiving end of yet another stimulus. Although Congresshad promised there would be no cuts to Medicare, and the President, according to the AP, sent out “a glossy brochure to reassure seniors the health care program is on solid ground”, the jobs bill, with heavy pressure from unions, contains a reduction of $21.8 billion in Medicare reimbursements, from the $65 billion commitment made to physicians and seniors. In addition the funds are only guaranteed for a portion of the original time dictated by the administration (Politico).

Democrats are now referring to this cut as a “freeze”.

Most worrisome is the input from Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who apparently feels that the growing deficit is of less import than extending unemployment benefits. (Politico) McEntee, a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, opined in a recent piece that there is an assault on Public Employees. The clueless Union Talking head has apparently missed the New York Times article, which discussed the gap in pensions for public employees versus those in the private sector (and lack of transparency): “about 3,700 retired public workers in New York are now getting pensions of more than $100,000 per year, exempt from state and local taxes”.

Meanwhile, Europe scrambles to avoid financial collapse (see Greece) in France, the government is raising the retirement age to 60 in order to stave off huge deficits. It may be recalled that Greece, with outrageous entitlement programs that it could no longer sustain, was recently bailed out by the U.S. government.

One should ask those Union leaders and the clueless horde that currently runs our government, who might bail out the U.S. should our entitlement programs (already unsustainable in most states) are summarily cut? New Jersey Governor, Chris Christy is battling to cut the state deficit, and warns that New Jersey is one step away from being “Greece”. He is currently ignoring the state union employees who had rallied on the Statehouse steps against the budget cuts. Chris Christie “gets it”.

While the Administration and the Democrat Controlled Congress are about to cut essential services to the nations senior, place a tax on oil that will impact both seniors and those on fixed incomes nationwide, in order to pacify the unions, one has to ask when the proverbial “light bulb” will finally appear over the heads of the committed Progressives who are so pro-union, they cannot see the forest through the trees. There will be no bailout of the U.S. period. We can, as a nation, only sustain so much debt before serious cuts must be made, and taxes reduced on those very same businesses so vilified by the union talking heads, that create jobs. John F. Kennedy got it, Ronald Reagan got it, even George W. Bush got it – for some reason, Progressives never get it, instead, they cry foul of the corporations whose very existence created jobs for the likes of union bosses.

The big what if? Certain economists believe that the Chinese Economy is not on solid ground, and the real estate market there is experiencing some difficulty, in addition they face rising unemployment. Given the fact that the China holds the biggest percentage of U.S. Debt (allowing the Democrats to continue to spend like no tomorrow), should that country’s economic system experience a hiccup – they would no longer be in a position to bail us out. Europe is in a shambles – there is literally no place to turn.

What needs to be done now is not minor surgery to yet another tax and spend bill, rather serious cuts to every segment of the Federal government and a reduction in entitlement programs, coupled with across the board tax cuts. This is not an overnight fix, it takes time to bring back those businesses Mr. McEntee accuses of leaving the U.S. jobless in pursuit of non-union employees in other nations that offer real tax breaks. One other remedy that should be on the table – disband the unions that protect individuals in jobs where there is absolutely no risk to life and limb. Any left standing should be federally mandated to ensure that dues are used only for retirement programs and plans for its members. (Not hefty salaries and donations to political parties, as is now the case, on the back s of those same union members McEntee is allegedly tyring to protect) Salaries to so-called union officials and union management should be capped, period. Someone has to have the courage to make major change to the current program, which is highly unlikely given the current administration and like-minded Congress. The only remedy at this point is the ballot box. November cannot come soon enough.