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Subscribe to RSSWell, that didn’t last long: “The GOP plan to replace Medicare with vouchers will have to wait, party leaders acknowledged yesterday as lawmakers bowed to political realities in pursuing a deal to allow more government borrowing in exchange for big spending cuts,” the Boston Globe reports.
The Boston Globe makes this good point: “[T]he most recent fury and flurry of votes are not likely to produce many new laws this year, and both sides know it. In the short era of divided government since the Republicans took control of the House in January, Congress has produced plenty of high-profile symbolic votes and a paltry amount of substantial laws. The reason, political specialists say: Both parties are using debates and votes to telegraph messages to their most fervent supporters, put the opposing party on record on key issues, and jockey for position for the 2012 elections.”
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Pathetic, the republicans can't kept a promise.
Quess the Repubs lost the bet on keeping the base low-informed!
Ah, the base is now informed.......the base is not buying what they are trying to sell! lol
Bev,
Isn’t Paul Ryan’s plan to require future retirees to purchase coverage from an exchange of private insurers the same as the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare)?
It is not even a pay-or-play option; Medicare taxes are mandatory, whether workers want to buy eligibility for old-age vouchers or not. If you decide not to use the voucher, or the voucher is insufficient, all the taxes you paid into the system are forfeited. Either you buy insurance as a senior, or you face a tremendous lifetime tax penalty.
Well Bev, the self-proclaimed racist from Chicago, has you lord Obama kept his many promises as yet?
Safecracker - According to Politifact which is keeping track of Obama's promises:
Promises Kept 135
Promises Broken 42
Compromises 40
Stalled 69
In the Works 220
Ryan said that something has to be done about the deficits, and he proposed a bold plan and said that the Democrats could 'demonize it' instead of working with it to make needed reforms, and shame on them if that's what they chose to do.
He was right and 'politics as usual' prevails, so nothing get's done and the bus keeps driving towards that cliff.
Roy,
The only reason Paul Ryan said what he did when he presented the plan was so people like you would say what you just said.
His statement was also political strategy.
now maybe wisconsin will vote this punk republican out of office . then what will the GOP do? they ahve nobody with anybrains............but then niether does that punk ryan.
dji
I'm impressed by your command of the English language. Obviously, you are a product of our wonderful education system.
Ryan backed off because his own base turned on him, Roy. Perhaps dji had a dyslexic moment.
The republicans are backtracking real fast... they just realized that ryans plan is ruining their chances of reelection in their districts ...They have gotten thousands of angry phone calls and had to suffer the indignity of being spoken down to at their town halls ...lol....The whole ryan plan is now off the table ... But how do they distance themselves from their "newest star" who's glow has just gone dark ... with out looking like complete fools again ?
I believe there is a lot of voter remorse out there concerning the November 2010 election. The 2012 election should be interesting.
It is particularly the idea of turning Medicare into a voucher system COUPLED with the refusal to return to the tax rates of the Clinton era that have people angry. The idea of "shared sacrifice" and "everything must be on the table" sounds hollow when Speaker Boehner and others won't include tax revenue. We don't have to wait for our children and grandchildren to pay for things if we can do some of it now.
Republicans are going to have to bend on a lot of issues now that the public is getting smart to their plans. After the week that we have just seen, I'm sure that things will get back to the right-wing whining soon. However, people are starting to get smart and not take their talk at face value anymore. They all have hidden agendas. Look at the list that Rachel Maddow put on her show of Reps. taking money from all the oil companies.
Its obvious now that the republicans will be ushered out in 2012 ..Already people are asking the GOP to have the "weeper of the house " replaced ASAP .
How embarrassing was last nights debate ...the only thing everyone could agree on ...was " it's was over at a preset time" ! The total lack of GOP leadership is astounding !
Kate, I agree.
In Maine, the Teapublicans who took over our state government forced public workers to contribute more to their retirement funds, lowered the amount the state itself chipped in, then turned around and passed the "savings" onto the wealthiest Mainers in the form of a $2,700.00 tax cut. The Republicans idea for economy is always "tax cuts for the wealthiest."
Amy, I guess it is the same all around.
Update from Texas
The Texas Senate's budget passed out of committe yesterday needs to be reconciled with the House budget.
The Senate bill will cut 5,300 state jobs across the spectrum of agencies.
Leave schools $4 billion short of current funding (Ensuring thousands of teacher job cuts)
Cut 32,000 TEXAS Grants for higher education
Privatize all in-house custodial staff across the state
Reduces state retirement contribution for ERS for state employees and TRS for teachers. Raise health care premiums for current employees and change health care plans into Health Savings accounts for those hired after 2012. That is if they hire, first the Gov. will have to authorize hiring to be allowed, as state wide there has been a hiring freeze and salary freeze for almost 2 years now.
In addition to the numerous cuts, the provision to use an additional $3 billion of the Economic Stabilization Fund (Rainy Day Fund) was removed from the proposed Senate budget.
As crazy as it sounds of the two state bodies the senate bill is moderate compared to the House budget.
A recent article was published, indicating that most federal employees are paid equal to those in the private sector, with the public employee receiving better benefits and retirement than private sector workers. So, why shouldn't they contribute more to their pension funds?
Now the various states cited in the article are also doing a study to determine if their public sector workers are non-sustaining also.
But, the SEIU and other unions are contributing large sums to attempt to defeat those politicians who feel the taxpayer has contributed more than necessary in union employee benefits.
"A recent article was published..." where? The articles that I saw (mostly coming out of Wisconsin) showed that for equivalent education and experience, private sector workers were paid more..., except possibly for those with only a high-school degree. All the money going to public sector workers' pension funds comes from the public sector workers -- much of it as deferred compensation (ie -- the state will take x% of salary and put it into the pension instead of into the paycheck).
They retreat but they can't hide from this vote for the dismantling of the most popular and successful Gob'mint program EVER. WE NEED single payor system to really control costs as far as health care is concerned but without a conversation partner the discussion cannot begin about what we NEED to do about our imminent demise.
DON'T Y'ALL KNOW WE ARE BROKE! Of course the wealthy and corporate elite have their pocket freshly lined with big bonus cash from their most recent ill-gotten gains. Can't we asked them for a contribution to our collective survival. We are in this mess 'cause they needed tax break after tax break that took us back to the lowest rates in decades for the very wealthiest Americans. We need to close cororate loop holes too. If they want a lower rate fine but loose the loop holes. ALL OF THEM for corporations.
We just want to bring it back up to the Clinton era rates. Those seemed to have worked really well since He left office with a balanced budget plus a surplus.
misty - "most popular and successful government program ever"??
Get a grip hon, even obama said that without help medicare was heading down the tubes. Of course if one measures success by how much a program bleeds out $$$ then yes it is very successful and is probably on par with military spending on cost overuns and money draining rules.
If the populace can't stomach ryans plan of vouchers then they better be prepared to see an increase in FICA taxes from the minimum wage earner to the current income cap. I do so hope that obama proposes this prior to the nov 2012 election.
His campaign rhetoric on asking for "just a little more" from the top 2% and small businesses won't cut it just like his idea on controlling healthcare provider costs isn't likely to be very effective. Care to ask your physician(s), clinics, hospitals and drug companies to provide a significant "senior discount" for healthcare over an ever increasing life expectancy and senior population growth due to the 'boomers'??
I do hope that obama reminds everyone on his $500 billion in medicare cuts over the next ten years. Cuts that many deny but cuts "think progress" acknowledge as being done...
From think progress dated oct 11, 2010
http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/10/11/bennet-buck-medicare/
From the same author april 4 2011...
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/05/paul-ryan-medicare-cuts/?wpmp_switcher=desktop
Does anyone recollect any government plan to control waste, fraud, etc as being effective??
I have no problem in closing tax loopholes, but will the democrats deliver?
Part of ryans reasoning behind giving tax cuts to the wealthy was based on tax cuts as well to maintain a revenue neutral budget. Regardless, Why not return all the tax cuts to previous levels? Seems fair to me, considering those making $30000 or more annually account for ~97% of income taxes collected.
then ya know what.......lets raise taxes. all you right wingers are very anal about taxes. if ya don't want to pay...........MOVE TO MARS!!! they have no taxes.
The republicans are backtracking real fast... they just realized that ryans plan is ruining their chances of reelection in their districts ...They have gotten thousands of angry phone calls and had to suffer the indignity of being spoken down to at their town halls ...lol....The whole ryan plan is now off the table ... But how do they distance themselves from their "newest star" who's glow has just gone dark ... with out looking like complete fools again ?
The "Gross Odd People" (GOP), and the "Really Not Competent" already voted a big. YES vote! To kill Medicare and Medicaid immediately, and they are clearly on the record voting so. How can the "Hoodlum's On The Hill" retreat from the votes they already made?? Do you see America how Cognitively Disabled this reasoning is? They love the "Richie Rich Ryan's" budget plan of butchery, and were talking very highly of how "Richie Rich Ryan" is great. The GOP/RNC are continuing to give messages and votes that are full of misinformation, and mental illness. There is on thing that America should never do. That is to retreat on voting in 2012! Getting ready to vote yet America?? I hope so!
The one thing the article points out is that nothing will get done aside from political posturing, until after the elections in 2012; The Republicans seem to be content with this as long as they can protect their wealthy donors from any tax increases; that leaves them with a dilemma as to where they will get money to pay on the deficit, the Bush tax breaks alone for the wealthy would have taken care of the biggest part of the deficit, without anything else being done; with profits going up 24% for the top earners this year it makes it very clear where they need to look for money to pay on the deficit, and possible why there is A deficit If they never got the tax breaks in the first place, in the last ten years it seems like they might not have A deficit at this time!!!