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MIAMI – Stumping here on Monday, Mitt Romney told reporters he couldn’t think of how he differs from running mate Paul Ryan when it comes to their views on Medicare.
“We haven’t gone through piece by piece and said, ‘Oh, here’s a place where there’s a difference,’” Romney said of his running mate’s plan. “But my plan for Medicare is very similar to his plan, which is ‘Do not change the program for current retirees or near-retirees but do not do what the president has done and that is to cut $700 billion out of the current program.”
Sustaining Medicare, the government’s health care program for seniors, will likely become a central issue in this election campaign – particularly because Ryan, the House budget committee chairman, crafted a controversial plan that analysts say would increase costs for low-income and unhealthy seniors down the road.
In the days since Paul Ryan joined the Republican ticket, the spotlight has been on Ryan's proposal for government to give seniors money to buy their own insurance – part of a sweeping Medicare reform plan. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
Romney was less committal Monday than he was in January, when he said during a debate that Ryan’s Medicare reform plan was “absolutely right on.” Instead, he said that he and Ryan agreed on the main points – and that he planned to restore the $700 billion cut from Medicare under Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Ryan's Medicare plan and his budget: What's in them for you?
There’s a hitch, however: Ryan’s budget makes the same $700 billion in Medicare cuts as the Obama plan. CNBC's Scott Cohn explains:
“The Affordable Care Act – Obamacare – does cut the growth of Medicare by $700 billion over 10 years. But benefits to seniors actually increase under Obamacare, which reduces payments to providers in exchange for more people covered by insurance. What’s more, the Ryan plan – approved by the House – cuts Medicare spending every bit as much as Obamacare does. In fact, it incorporates the very same budget projections, even as it repeals Obamacare. That’s what you call having it both ways.”
Faced with questions about Ryan's support for these cuts, the Romney campaign clarified its position Monday evening and disagreed with those cuts.
"Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have always been fully committed to repealing Obamacare, ending President Obama’s $716 billion raid on Medicare, and tackling the serious fiscal challenges our country faces," Lanhee Chen, Romney’s policy director, said in a statement. "A Romney-Ryan Administration will restore the funding to Medicare, ensure that no changes are made to the program for those 55 or older, and implement the reforms that they have proposed to strengthen it for future generations."
At his last event of the day here in Miami, Romney did not mention Medicare or Obama’s health care reform, focusing instead on economic issues. But when Paul Ryan comes to Florida, where retirees make up a sizable part of the population, it would be safe to assume that Medicare reform will once again take center stage.
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Paul Ryan is suddenly the budget and deficit champions eh? Lmao!
The guy voted for every single Bush policy that raised the debt and the deficit to almost 10 trillion dollars. Where was his caring for medicare, deficit slashing, balanced budget plan then? Obama is in office now and you suddenly have a plan to fix it? He can go take his budget into the woods and shoot it, no one's listening.
You're right. President Obama is the champion of deficits. He has doubled down on deficit creation. He has acted, or not, to assure future debt growth.
Of all the falsehoods told about President Barack Obama, the biggest whopper is the one about his reckless spending spree.
As would-be president Mitt Romney tells it: “I will lead us out of this debt and spending inferno.”
Almost everyone believes that Obama has presided over a massive increase in federal spending, an “inferno” of spending that threatens our jobs, our businesses and our children’s future. Even Democrats seem to think it’s true.
But it didn’t happen. Although there was a big stimulus bill under Obama, federal spending is rising at the slowest pace since Dwight Eisenhower brought the Korean War to an end in the 1950s.
Even hapless Herbert Hoover managed to increase spending more than Obama has.
Here are the facts, according to the official government statistics:
• In the 2009 fiscal year — the last of George W. Bush’s presidency — federal spending rose by 17.9% from $2.98 trillion to $3.52 trillion. Check the official numbers at the Office of Management and Budget.
• In fiscal 2010 — the first budget under Obama — spending fell 1.8% to $3.46 trillion.
• In fiscal 2011, spending rose 4.3% to $3.60 trillion.
• In fiscal 2012, spending is set to rise 0.7% to $3.63 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate of the budget that was agreed to last August.
• Finally in fiscal 2013 — the final budget of Obama’s term — spending is scheduled to fall 1.3% to $3.58 trillion. Read the CBO’s latest budget outlook.
Over Obama’s four budget years, federal spending is on track to rise from $3.52 trillion to $3.58 trillion, an annualized increase of just 0.4%.
There has been no huge increase in spending under the current president, despite what you hear.
Thermen Merman
That makes our debt so much more palatable. Do you think the "party of no" that was created in '09-'10 by the Democrats may have prevented more spending?
No huge increase = we have to borrow from China and print money to pay are bills but we don't have a spending problem. What do you call 16T in debt? The tea party was form because people were sick of Bush's spending and I'm sure as a lib you were complaining about Bush's spending but have no problem with Obama continuing to drive us over the cliff. What will it take for you to admit Obama has a spending problem another down grade in credit rating.
The cause of the deficit is not any increase in spending (only 0.4% per year the lowest of any president in 60 years) the cause is a decrease in revenue (taxes are at the lowest in 60 years).
This math thing is really not that hard to understand.
If you are spending about the same, but take in significantly less, you will have a larger deficit.
1st grade math folks.
Thank you Thermen Merman
Because you have fools like M.J. - CT, ContemptMe, gideb114 who believe they are rich. Yet they defend Ryan-Romney for not paying taxes and ending medicare and social security as we know it. And by balancing the budget 28 years from now make Ryan-Romney better steward of our money, although President Obama over 4 years hand an increase of .04% in spending.
Just shows you how stupid they are. No one can compare themselves to be smart by saying I will balance the budget 28 years for now and the debt spending will increase 16 folds during those 28 years. You could not get an A for that school project. You would surely fail trying to convince your teacher you are correct.
If you think balancing the budget 28 years from now and kicking poor and the elderly off medicare is a great ideal I have a bridge to sell you again.
contempt, and maybe that's why its going to be the 54 year olds that get it, or granny will really be over the cliff with medicaid proposal, Mom's got big bucks, never missed a meal our ryan family.
Obama 2012
Solution - I may not be rich but I what I have I got on my own without being a parasite on society. I'm a 26 year vet who made sure my mortgage was paid off prior to retiring from the military by saving and living within my means. I also put both of my children through college without the help of the government. They both start out at community college and transferred to state universities that I help support with my tax dollars. I'm semi retired and work as a contracted employee for large companies. I live of my contracted job salary and bank my retirement check because unlike you I never believed SSN and Medicare will be there when I retire.
The difference between us is unlike you I don't hate the rich and I don't believe in class warfare. What I do believe in is being self reliant and not depending on the government. I may not be rich but I will be financially secure in my retirement.
LIBS ARE TOO FUNNY!
There is no dispute medicare and social security as we know it today, right now and immediately cant survive and will fold within the next 8-12 year for medicare.
Obama has not put forth one plan on the table to discuss this REAL issue nor not one plan to tackle the REAL debt issue. Heck there ha not even been 1 budget passed in the completely controlled Senate since Obama has been in office.
Yesterday a video/audio of Bill Clinton saying to Ryan he, Bubba, was glad we, Dems, won NY but he hopes the Dem dosnt use this as a excuse to do NOTHING and Ryan should cal him.
So the Dems have done absolutely nothing, its Romney Ryan not Ryan Romney yet Libs are attacking Ryan for putting forth a plan to get negotiations started and the Dems have but up nothing except whining.
Well you know its better to do nothing and keep getting free stuff then attempt to actually fix the problem
kamo
Not funny at all.
President Obama is fighting for the little guys. He is fighting against the rich. He is fighting to keep the Republicans from taking away entitlements. He and Joe Biden are fighting, swinging, yelling, and generally making a spectacle of this nation.
Proof Obama is more interested in is own vanity to be president vs tring to fix the real problem.
M.J. - CT-
Really, maybe I missed something here. So why has not Obama but forth one plan to address it vs band aids to kick it down the road so as not to make people mad in order to gain votes. Does Obama take his supporters to be stupid or is he counting on people to put fingers in their ears and cover their eyes to not deal with reality.
I thought a leader is suppose to lead and tackle problems head on?
Instead Obama talks and gives speeches like he cares, yet there has been NO proposals he has put forth. How is he fighting for the little guy, by talking about it??????
Im sure you have heard judge people by thier actions and not the color of thier skin. Put that same saying into what Obama has not done in reality expect blame the other guy, put forth no plans, has not put forth one budget and on and on.
Maddow got caught Sunday sprewing BS and got hammered and Geogory had to save her on Meet The Press.
Debbie Wasserman- Flat out lying on Fox News Sunday and had to as the politicans call it, "walk it back," on Monday.
Axelrod yesterday completely creamed lying about the Ryan plan and his only response was 'Well when Bush......"
That M>J>-CT- is Obama fighting for the little guy??????
kamo
I apologize, I usually italicize when I'm being sarcastic.
President Obama is fighting to be re-elected without a regard to the middle-class' future.
BTW Ms. Maddow wasn't her usual cool self when there was another intelligent person in the room. Also found her not answering the question to be hilarious.
And I hope Wasserman-Schultz keeps speaking loud and often. She is the posterchild of snakeoil salesmen.
I am truly tiring of the dopey liberal pundits and their minions whining about the lack of details on the GOP side of the race to the Oval Office. Why would Romney want to get into details when nobody is really listening now? That goes for both sides. The electorate won't start paying attention until mid-Sept. and that is when you start getting on message with concrete steps, etc.
Have they taken a look at the other side? It's been nothing but negative ads and generalizations. The GOP will steal all the money from the middle class and give it to the rich. It is tripe at best and outright lies at worst.
Guess what? With Obama's economy, even if Romney wanted to which he does not, there is nothing to take because many in the middle-class are unemployed. 25M if you want to use real numbers.
Gov. Romney wants to not tax business into oblivion and further injure the middle-class that will ultimately pay for those tax hikes because those costs will just be passed along to the consumers.
A business-friendly environment is what this country needs right now. When business gets bullish again they will hire those middle-class folks that are hurting. Demand will increase as will consumer spending because when business gets bullish consumer confidence also rebounds and with more employed we will see growth - not to mention increased IRS revenues.
The Dems can moan all they want about fair share, the rich can pay more, but it is like putting out the fire with gasoline. The extra money collected will do zero to address are heavy debt and budget deficits. It's all demagoguery and BS.
Smoke and mirrors is the Obama way. He'll be exposed by November for what he is - a pandering fool.
By having the Rich pay no taxes is somehow NOT STEALING?
WoW I have a bridge to sell you again.
Solutions-The "rich" as you put them or the top 20% as I call them, pay 90% of the Federal Income taxes. If you want to change the system, go after the bottom 33% that get back more than they paid in every year, unless of course you are in that category then keep taking money out of other people's pocket, it's the Democrat way after all.
Solutions539
Wow really....rich pay no taxes? I guess the money to run the government comes from the money tree.
Respectfully who really dont believe what you typed do you? You are just trying to get a one liner in right?
Solutions is operating on intellectual poverty. Typical liberal dope.
Solutions
Where were you leaders when they could have made a fair tax code for two years?
Yet, now they are crying about Mr. Romney and Mr. Buffett's legal taxes...
Solution by your logic I guess the 47% who pay no federal income taxes are also stealing from the government? What do you call the Earn Income Credit? I believe that must be stealing also since those who receive and EIC never made $$$ of taxes.
Almost 4 years into the Obama Presidency and I have yet to see an article critical of Obama on MSDNC. What a surprise! This network has zero credibility. Expand your horizons and check out The Daily Caller or Fox News if you want to hear both sides of the story.
Are you advocating they should LIE like Ryan Romney?
But if I were you I would vote for Ryan-Romney this way if your daughter gets raped, someone in your family rapes her-incest, or if she has a medical problem she would by law under the Ryan-Romney polices HAVE THE CHILD NO MATTER WHAT - even if she dies.
President Obama 2012
Solutions539
Not picking on you but did you watch Hardball yesterday, with Chris spouting complete lies and John Senunu calling him on it. All Chris could do then was try and talk over him and cut to a early commercial break.
So if I could get Romney to agree to leave abortion in place for anyone raped, you would vote for them? Are you really that shallow that you haven't realized our National Debt is $16 trillion, unemployment has been above 8% for 42 months and the economy is shrinking while our Federal expenditures have sky rocketed? Do you honestly believe that the wealthy are going to pay enough in taxes to pay down the debt, fix our spending problems and create a great economy?
lukewarm-
Abortion i the most important issue to you? Not econ, debt, future of social security and medicare, national defense and jobs? Abortion????
I thought is was about smaller government ? If so,why are you creating laws forbidding something as PERSONAL to a woman as an abortion? Smaller government only applies to corporations right ? Everything else the government should be big and tell me that I shouldn't do it. Meanwhile, Ryan voted for the bill that allowed illegal wire-tapping of citizens. Hypocrite alert!
If Romney wants to fix the deficit why doesnt he and the rest of the Americans hiding money in off shore accounts bring their money back to America and pay their fare share of taxes on it? The estimated amount of money in off shore accounts is over $170 trillion. If you tax that at just 15%, oh my goodness we don't have a deficit. Oh and we should keep the tax loop holes for the rich because it will promote job growth, but wait a minute, I thought job growth was down and the rich still have their loop holes. How could that be?
The GDP of the world is estimated at $69 trillion so I don't think your figures are accurate. Furthermore, if you have a 401k chances are you are invested in overseas markets but that doesn't mean people aren't paying taxes on the money. Maybe a little more study on your part and a little less listening to liberal pundits would serve you well.
Boo hoo. Why don't you try earning a living instead of posting here.
How can you be HIDING money when you diclosed it on your filing to the IRS?
Perhaps Jeff of GE, you know Obama's job Czar whose company paid NO taxes and got billions in tax refunds...
The GDP is not an estimate of the amount of money in the world. The GDP is an annual estimate and people have been hiding money off shore for years compounding gains to the deficit.I have an IRA and you can bet none of my money is hiding in off shore accounts.
How is $102,000,000 in a IRA explained when the Little People can only contribute $5,000 a year.
Obama 2012
AndrewWoody
Wonder why the Democrats didn't think of that in '09 & '10? Could it be that most of the Democratic Congress are wealthy too?
skyparrot
Simple, you put your options into a SEP-IRA similar to a deferred comp account almost all government employees have.
The IRS still gets their cut when the money is taken out FOR ANY REASON. And if taken out earlier, not only does the IRS get their cut but they, IRS gets a larger cut because of the early penalty.
Maybe you can go after Obama buddy Warren Buffet who runs this and similar investment strategies.
Medicare is not free to people over 65. After paying into medicare all our lives we still pay every month out of our ss checks - hundreds for the zillions of us. We then have to purchase supplemental policies from profit making insurance companies - more hundreds for the zillions of us. Also, when we work, medicare is subtracted from our small wages. We also pay co-pays for everything. Most discussions around medicare do not take this into account.
Joe, the media is owned by corporations. How can the media be liberal? Often "the media" has no choice but to report facts. Facts are often painted by your ilk as "liberal." Corporations get government welfare in massive amounts - only one example oil company subsidies. (By all means reward the wealthy.)
Joe says we love big government more than people! Amazing Right Wing logic again. "Love big government more" than saving social security for future generations. Joe, I guess you forgot government IS social security and medicare. Why not let the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes rather than allowing the Bush tax cuts drive us further and further into debt, allowing the debt to fall on other people's kids?
Joe, does your support staff (secretaries etc) pay a higher pecentage in taxes than you?
I guess you messed up your life and didn't save money. What gives you any right to the money of others?
Judy-Here's the problem with your argument. People don't pay enough into Medicare, along with their company's contribution to pay for all their health care, that's why Medicare will be broke by 2033. Furthermore, the "oil subsidies" you speak of are the same "subsidies" every other corporation gets which isn't a "handout", it's the ability to depreciate equipment quicker, the ability to write off certain losses, etc. Maybe if you liberals would study the things you argue, you would be able to make more sense. The oil companies don't get "special treatment" but, the Solar companies do, the Ethanol companies do, as does Planned Parenthood, the Institute of Art and millions of Americans that get back more than they pay in on taxes.
If your argument is about "fairness" let's put EVERYTHING on the table.
Jeff you're a condescending idiot. I hope you never need help from anyone in your life. I also hope you NEVER go on Medicare and receive SS.
If the argument is about fairness, would see romney's tax returns already
Jeff, Enron ate it, retirement money that is. Inane post.
Luke, oil companies have been getting tax subsidies for 100 years, please.
Obama 2012
@jeff what gave corporations the right to our tax money in 2008? If it was up to me, they all would have been left to face the consequences of their actions while their companies failed. Not one penny of my tax dollar they deserved.
Only on a leftwing news site would such a stupid article appear. As Biden subjugated all his plans and beliefs to Obama's, Ryan will do likewise. Why doesn't NBC get its nose out of Obama's rump and try reporting news instead of advocating for a buffoon to remain in office?
Jeff, and you need to get your snoot out of fox's hind end, geeze. Good soldier there fella.
Obama 2012
Name me one country that went broke because of their medical expenses? Ryan voted for the Bush prescription plan where the government wasn't allowed to negotiate prices. Hence the high cost of our healthcare from government to the private sector. Our insurance companies are the richest on the planet...I wonder why that is? Can't be because we have the best care.
No one believes Ryan. Good luck to him and Romney trying to convince seniors in 2 months that Medicare needs fixing. Obama got Romney to change his entire campaign strategy cause he was obviously taking a beating in the polls. Obama, Plouffe, Axelrod and Emmanuel aren't exactly amateurs in running political campaigns. You never underestimate your opponent.
"We haven't gone through piece by piece and said, 'Oh, here's a place where there's a difference,'" Romney said of his running mate's plan. "But my plan for Medicare is very similar to his plan, which is 'Do not change the program for current retirees or near-retirees but do not do what the president has done and that is to cut $700 billion out of the current program."
That is just funny. We are not about to believe that in the process of picking a VP the presidential hopeful did not vet his running mate? No wonder Romne gives such a confusing and lame response. Otherwise he is flying by the seat is his pants.
It shows an amateurish campaign run by amateurs. I expect Obama and company to go hard on these two in the next couple months. When Romney goes on TV and asks for a truce to negative ads you know he's being hurt. What a wimp! Suck it up Mittens, you're running against the Chicago machine.
There goes Willard again. He can't say what his plan is - just more lies and distortions of President Obama. The only plan so far for Ryan/Romney is tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, eliminate medicare for a coupon, and get rid of social security. There goes the safety net - remember Willard said he didn't care about the poor because they had a safety net - hmmm, well guess what
Hold it... let me get this straight...
The Wal-Mart conservative crowd is prepared to vote, basically, to take away their OWN retirement healthcare program,.. so millionaires, billionaires, and corporations can get a new round of tax cuts??
Then, upon retirement.. the Wal-Mart conservatives will get a "pauly coupon" with which they have to buy a healthcare plan at the ripe old age of 67... with no controls, mandates or protections against the whims of the private health insurance industry..
Wow,. if you can get the rubes to swallow this,.. the sky is the limit !!!!
As opposed to voting for the success of extending Medicare solvency for 12 years?
When you're old enough to realize your bike may be hazardous to your mortality; Medicare may be past insolvency.
"success"??? LOL!!!
You're kidding.. right???
You Wal-Mart conservatives are amazing... I'm wondering what the next "success" is,.. you'll be willing to swallow..
Letting Wall St. run SS perhaps???
President Obama claims to have extended Medicare solvency to 2024.
As much as I wouldn't endorse Wall St. running Social Security; I do not support the Payroll Tax Cut. Why didn't the Democrats pass an income tax cut in '09? A real stimulus.
As a country we pay more for our health insurance and health care than any country on earth, yet we still have millions with no coverage. Obamacare tries to solve this problem. It has its tax penalty for those "free riders" (Romney term), who essentially pay nothing for health insurance choosing instead to play the health lottery. When they do get sick or injured, it is frequently everyone who pays for health insurance who pays. $1000/family/year is the conservative estimate of what it costs to pay for the "free riders" (Romney's term).
There will still be millions without health insurance. For many it will still be more economical to pay the penalty and wait to get ill.
I stopped reading the bill when I read that companies could not be bought/sold for the existing grandfathered health plan. The government wants to avoid a market for businesses for the sole purpose of seeking less expensive healthcare.
That's when I realized how poorly this Act was thrown together.
Romney/Ryan 2012. They are going to wallop the pandering, inexperienced simpleton President Obama and the even dumber Joe Biden.
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows Mitt Romney attracting support from 47% of voters nationwide, while President Obama earns the vote from 44%. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided.
And 56% favor repeal of Obamacare because they lack confidence in the fed. govt. to be a health insurance concern for all.
Ryan's favorability numbers in OH? 51%.
Soon Obama can build some homes with Carter.
How the Republicans have managed to avoid having a meaningful plan for health care reform amazes me until I see all the money they get from health insurance companies for their campaigns. Ryan's plan for medicare "reform" only adds to this cash flow.
I don't think their intent was to have something "meaningful",.. their intent was to take away the foundation of the federal govts. social contract with Americans..
They achieved the first step in the process by drastically lowering tax rates. Then they were able to cry about ballooning deficits, and unfunded future liabilities so they can effectively start to cut programs..
We're in the second phase of the plan now...
obamaDont Care cuts $$700 BILLION from Medicare!!!
You're a mindless halfwit rube...
Please don't breed...
Thank you..
shaak
Each state has had the power to reform healthcare. Because of the complexity of the issue it has been hard to pass a bi-partisan bill. Now we have a partisan plan which has hammered a private market product through a political sausage machine adding subsidies, regulations, and uncertainty.
So, every time someone moves from one state to another they need to completely educate themselves between one state and another states' health insurance plans. One state that provides for pre-existing conditions will be inundated by new arrivals with pre-existing conditions. This state by state approach to health care reform sounds incredibly inefficient to me, but I guess in the long run, a state like Massachusetts which passed Romneycare could have a higher growth rate than a state that limited coverage of pre-existing conditions.
Just brilliant, Romney. You are not only completely uninformed on Medicare, you don't even fully understand the position of your own VP pick on the topic. This man is even worse than GW and would be a total puppet for the people in his inner circle - who are all Bush warmongers. Very scary! Especially for this senior just coming of age for social security and Medicare.
I guess you should not call the kettle black, since anyone currently on medicare is not effected, anyone 55 is not effected, to do NOTHING means those approaching as you put it will have nothing, since nobody that does numbers disputes it will be BK in 8-12 years.
Lastly Ryan put forth a plan, in the same arena as Simpson/Bowels. You know the Obama commission that Obama completely ignored after they presented their findings.
Maybe Obama should have presented one plan to get the negotiations started vs trying to talk smack on the other guy who actually put forth one to get the negotiations started.
The Ryan plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program is merely the first step in ending it . All the Republicons have to do is stop funding it after it has been made a voucher program and that's the end of it . Their duplicity has no bounds and their trustworthiness is nil . Does anyone want to take that chance ?
Mike, you're a dirty, commie, hippie, pinko, socialist , liberal, america-hating bastard!!! :P
mike
The first step to destroying Medicare has been the lack of attention paid to an old problem. The issue has been kicked down the road.
Nothing could be done and the program would be insolvent in 2024. Or something could be done to ensure its sustainability.
An employee pays 1.45% of his gross income in Medicare taxes. Reagan raised this tax in 1986 to its present level. Insolvency in 2024 does not mean it is broke, simply that it will be paying more out than it takes in. This so-called crisis can be solved simply by Obamacare reducing postponed and more expensive surgeries and treatments for those over 65 who lack health insurance when they are younger than 65 and a small hike in the medicare tax (just like Reagan's bipartisan solution). In exchange, we all get health coverage in our old age. I know I was happy to do that for my parents and grandparents and I'm sure that my children will be OK with it too.
Tom in NH You're a typical neocon . If you have no reasonable argument you shout drivel .
Tom in NH . By the way , you're a Fascist .
ObamaDontcare CUTS $$700 BILLION from Medicare!!
Dem's want to kill Grandma!!!!!
According to the NONPARTISAN Congressional Budget Office these cuts reflect projected cost savings for Medicare. Just look at all the uninsured 64 year olds who wait until they are 65 to get their pressing health needs met. This costs Medicare lots of money.
And yet it cuts $700 billion without reducing benefits, unlike Ryan's plan.
Sounds like Obama understands the problem far better than either Ryan or Mitt (R-Money).
skrekk
Wait you mean Obama's cut out 700 billion and no reduction of benefits? THAT'S brilliant of him!
So now he dosnt have to raise any taxes on anyone and can still get the business of the government done.
After all, if you believe 700 billion was cut away out of whole cloth and the short is not being added from elsewhere, ie: shell game, then of course Obama can do the same across the board. He cant? Didnt think so.....
I have been paying my medicare premium all of my life. I didn't do that so that when I retire I get a phucking coupon.
Phuck you Ryan.
Thermen Merman
Perhaps you should thank all those Congresspersons overseeing the program while you have done your share. Or, I suppose you could blame the originators of the program.
Or you can choose to vote for a coupon, or vote for no Medicare.
I hope you retire before 2024 after that medicare is broke.
TO: Thermen Merman who wrote:
You're damn right!
Republicans aren't even considering just giving us our money back, with interest thereon at the legal rate.
What Republicans are considering is the ONLY thing Republicans EVER consider, and that's STEALING all of our retirement money and putting our money in the pockets of people like Mitt Romney, who knows ALL about how to steal pension plans and retirement funds because THAT is how Romney made his millions, by stealing other people's retirement money!
Obama/Biden 2012
Treason is deliberately creating a debt crisis, endangering our national security, our financial stability and economic future, just so the Republicans can privatize SS, Medicare etc and hand over all that entitlement money to the very same people who crashed the economy. (It's also stupid) The last 3 GOP presidents didnt sign all those deficit riddled budgets by accident!
Treason is sabotaging the recovery from the from the greatest financial and economic crisis since 1929, just to make sure that Obama is a 1 TERM PRESIDENT. The GOP abandoned their country, the jobless, the homeless and made millions suffer for FOUR YEARS, just to attain a political goal.
Treason is wasting $1T on a preplanned war for oil that cost this country the lives of 5000 brave soldiers, maimed 13000+ more, and killed 100,000 Iraqis. Remember, at Cheney's first meeting with oil executives in March 2001, to discuss energy policy, maps of Iraq's oil fields were found where the oil fields were being divvied up among western oil interests.
Why the HELL are we putting up with all this crap?? Do American voters have THAT short a memory? Personally, I think this version of the GOP needs to be destroyed at the ballot box since they are a clear and present danger to the United States of America as we know it.
The GOP gave us all the finger--now it's time we give them the boot!!
Obama and Romney don't even have to bother debating. In the first debate, Romney can spend the entire evening debating himself and the second debate Romney and Ryan can debate over Paul Ryan's medicare killer plan that Romney is running as far and fast away from that he can.
Paul Ryan is a Social Conservative, not a Fiscal Conservative. He is a Fiscal Liberal. Yes, he talks the talk of fiscal conservatism. However, his voting record doesn't even come close to walking the walk. And his argument, "I was a junior Congressman so I had to do what I was told". So much for standing on principle.
IF you look REAL closely, you will find that ALL of the "Obama deficits" are almost EXACTLY the amount he inherited from Bush for FY 2009! What a coincidence!! You know, when a deficit hits the books, it doesnt magically disappear when the calender changes! It STAYS there unless it's addressed. And, as we all saw last Augusts during the debt ceiling circus, REPUBLICANS refused to address the deficit. And so it remains.
We ALSO know that spending increases under Obama have been at the lowest level in 60 years!!
Obama spending binge never happened
http://articles.marketwatch.com/2012-05-22/commentary/31802270_1_spending-federal-budget-drunken-sailor
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall, Which President Is the Biggest Spender of All?
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall-which-president-is-the-biggest-spender-of-all/
So, from that official data from the CBO, OMB and Haver Analytics, it seems that Obama spending has NOT increased in any meaningful way.
The most logical conclusion is that the deficits under Obama were all the leftover from Bush's legacy to him! One MUST address a deficit OR it's going to hang around until and unless it is brought down. Clinton faced the same thing.
Just because a president inherits a deficit does NOT mean he's responsible for it. Interest on the debt went up. Previously approved spending programs still remain. ( like the F35) . If it isnt addressed, it remains until it IS addressed!
The GOP SOOOOO wants to escape responsibility for deliberately creating this debt crisis. Americans are having none of it and polls reflect that. Their plan to 'starve the beast" by cutting taxes and increasing spending has only served to endanger the national security and financial stability of the United States! All that just to privatze SS and Medicare, their goal all along--since raygun!
They have a lot of YOU people bamboozled. The reality is that they had a plan to create this crisis and THAT was treason! They worship at the altar of the moneyed and corporate elite while giving Joe America the finger. They fiddle while the US burns and make you think they care about YOU! History proves they do NOT!
TO: the righty who wrote:
Oh come on! Republicans deserve 100% credit for totally screwing up and crashing the entire United States Economy, Republicans are just too cowardly to accept responsibility for their own mistakes!
Obama/Biden 2012
I'm more inclined to believe President Clinton's admission that he and his party possibly resisted too strongly to the Republican attempt fend off the housing debacle.
He was also the President that signed the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act.
We all float in the boat. Rock it or row together.
TO: M.J. - CT:
So Bush inherited a healthy, thriving economy, and crashed it to the ground, but from where you stand, that looks perfectly fine to you, and there's no need for Bush to take responsibility for his own actions when you can blame someone else instead.
Like I said before, cowards, Girly Men-type cowards.
the republicans will cause a no win situation for the middleclass and the retired. And i believe the public knows it. we'll find out in november. But my money is on Obama
Better put your money on yourself. I keep hearing President Obama's visions and Mr. Biden's dreams, but I haven't seen a plan.
Thinking I may have heard the talk-the-talk a few years back.
If it's such a great plan then why not include everyone now? Why start with 55 year olds?
Tally, because it's a lousy freaking plan that nobody wants.
And because they don't want to upset the seniors(Repubs trying to keep their vote) who are already on it. They figure that by using the 55 age, by the time that many reach the new age requirement of 67 we won't remember all this bullsh!t and we will go along with it as we will have no choice. Now, take your little coupon and move on like a nice little old lady/man. Phuckers!