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Subscribe to RSSFlorida, Florida, Florida. The Tampa Bay Times: “Mitt Romney returns to Florida with Medicare back as central issue.” The paper’s lead: “Romney mentioned the word Medicare only twice Monday in his first Florida stop after picking a running mate, but no one doubts it will be a central part of the campaign fight in this must-win state… Vice presidential pick Paul Ryan, who advocates fundamentally restructuring Medicare, has introduced the subject of entitlement reform like never before in a presidential race.”
The Washington Post: “Ryan stirs cheers, heckling in Midwest.”
The Des Moines Register's editorial board goes after Ryan: “Ryan deserves credit for confronting this issue, which most other members of Congress would as soon ignore. He is right, in principle, that federal spending must be reduced. He is right, in principle, that spending on federal entitlements must be reined in. Ryan’s cure is in many respects as bad as the disease, however. He would convert the highly effective Medicare program into a voucher system for future retirees. He would sharply cut Medicaid funding and let the states figure out how to provide medical care for the poor. His proposal to cut spending on food stamps drew criticism from his own church in a statement from the U.S. Catholic bishops.”
Ryan plan primer: “Under the Ryan plan, for example, taxpayers in the lowest fifth of income would see their taxes increase slightly,” the Boston Globe writes. “Those earning $40,000 to $70,000 would get a $739 cut, and those in the top 0.1 percent would get a $773,000 cut. But financing for those cuts remains vague; the Ryan plan said they will be paid for by eliminating various unnamed tax deductions.”
More: “Ryan also believes that, even while cutting tax rates, revenues would go from 15.5 percent of GDP to 19 percent in 2030. The effectiveness of cutting tax rates in anticipation of boosting economic activity has been the subject of debate for years and has escalated since the Bush-era tax cuts have been followed by large deficits. By failing to say which tax deductions would be eliminated, Ryan’s plan has left analysts to wonder whether that would lead to the end of the deduction for mortgage interest, charitable contributions, or other big-ticket items. Nor does the Ryan plan provide details about many spending cuts.”
“The Ryan budget would slash food stamps by $134 billion over 10 years, affecting 47 million recipients… A typical family of four could lose about $90 a month in food stamps…. At the same time, Ryan vows to protect defense spending. Indeed, if his plan is coupled with Romney’s vow to increase Pentagon dollars, there would be little or no room for nondefense spending outside of programs such as Social Security….”
What about Medicare? Eligibility goes from 65 to 67. Changes for those younger than 55 would take place beginning in 2023. There would be a voucher program that seniors could use to buy insurance in a private insurance marketplace, similar to the Obama health law exchange system, which would impact far fewer people, because most people already have health insurance through their companies. Obama’s exchange would only affect those without insurance who make too much to be on Medicaid. Ryan’s would affect anyone over 67.
Seniors would have the choice of staying with the “existing, fee-for-service system,” something Ryan did not offer under earlier versions.
And here’s the catch: “The risk is that if private competition in the Medicare marketplace did not hold down insurance costs, government vouchers — whose annual increases would be capped — could cease to cover plan premiums over time. In this case, more people would chose the traditional fee-for-service model and cost savings for the government would not materialize.”
And this little-known fact: “It aims to save $205 billion between 2013 and 2022, on top of the $700 billion in Medicare spending reductions contained in Obama’s national health care law. Though his plan calls for repeal of the health care law, Ryan would keep and expand Obama’s Medicare cuts, a departure from Romney’s plan to wipe out the law and his sharp criticism of the Medicare cuts.” And it would slash federal spending by $810 billion for Medicaid over just the next 10 years, much faster than Ryan’s proposal for Medicare. And there would no longer be the fee-for-service Medicaid system, instead it would be block-granted to states, who then could do whatever they wanted with the money.
The L.A. Times has its own breakdown of Ryan’s plan. Its chart of how much people would pay in taxes – it cuts for the rich, raises on the poor:
Top 1% - $155,808 cut
Top 20% - $13,907 cut
Middle 20% - $739 decrease
Next 20% - $149 decrease
Lowest 20% - $159 tax INCREASE
“Under Ryan's plan, which has passed the Republican-controlled House twice in slightly different versions, the Internal Revenue Service would tax the wealthiest Americans less, but many of the poorest ones more; Medicare would be transformed; Medicaid would be cut by about a third; and all functions of government other than those health programs, Social Security and the military would shrink to levels not seen since the 1930s,” it writes.
AP: “Mitt Romney says there may be differences between his own budget plan and running mate Paul Ryan's, but he isn’t volunteering any of them.”
Spending hypocrisy? “In 2009, as Representative Paul Ryan was railing against President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package as a ‘wasteful spending spree,’ he wrote at least four letters to Obama’s secretary of energy asking that millions of dollars from the program be granted to a pair of Wisconsin conservation groups, according to documents obtained by The Globe. The advocacy appeared to pay off; both groups were awarded the economic recovery funds — one receiving a $20 million grant to help thousands of local businesses and homes improve their energy efficiency, agency documents show. … The documents show that Ryan’s attempts to take advantage of the stimulus funds even after he voted against them was more expansive than previously reported.”
The Romney campaign did not comment this time around. When Ryan was first called out for this in 2010, a spokesman said: “If Congressman Ryan is asked to help a Wisconsin entity applying for existing federal grant funds, he does not believe flawed policy should get in the way of doing his job and providing a legitimate constituent service to his employers.”
“Mitt Romney held a campaign event Monday night at a Miami juice shop owned by a convicted cocaine trafficker,” AP writes, adding, “Appearing with Romney was Sen. Marco Rubio. Both men handed out juices to an excited crowd after brief remarks. Romney was filming a campaign ad at the juice shop, aides said.” The owner “told the Miami New Times that the Secret Service vetted everything about him when the Romney campaign asked to use his fruit and vegetable stand and that they knew about his criminal record. ‘Here in Miami there are a lot people with money who have had problems with the law,’ Bermudez told the New Times. ‘Thankfully, we all have the opportunity in this country to re-enter society when we've done something wrong.’”
He wouldn’t be allowed to re-enter a voting booth, though, if Romney had his way. “As a felon, [he] wouldn't be eligible to vote in Florida unless the governor and the Cabinet restore his rights.”
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You need to make sure everyone you know who is disabled, has a child with a serious illness with medicaid coverage, or a senior who has medicaid secondary to their medicare plan realizes how serious this will be. Most states do not want to fund medicaid at all, so who is gonna make sure that these people are taken care of? I took care of my wonderful mother for a year, if she had not had medicaid secondary to her medicare we would never have been able to keep our jobs - had to have sitters to stay with her all day (we took care of her ourselves after work and were happy to do it), she could not be alone, it was cheaper and healthier for her to stay with us than to put her in a nursing home (which I would never do to a family member or friend I love). Without those added benefits we could not have afforded it - as it was we were still out a great deal of money (she was very much worth every cent and we are happy to have been able to do it) - my husband nor I are quite retiremend age and not close to medicare age, which means we had to keep working. My mom worked all her life, worked hard for little pay that men in the same field (banking and insurance) made much more than she did, she did all the work - they took home the big money, and still do, she spent her hard earned paycheck in the stores therefore paid lots of sales tax all her life, paid all her income taxes on time, paid her land taxes on time, so this was no hand out to her - it was only a small portion of the payback she actually deserved. No thank you Mr. Ryan - those of us who actually love our parents and disabled children and friends actually prefer to pay our fair share in taxes to make sure they receive the care they deserve.
The Romney plan is insane. Those of us with elderly relatives have seen what it takes to care for seniors. Alzheimer's runs in my family - I can just see myself trying to pick a private insurance plan I can afford, just as the disease diminishes my mental faculties. Republicans think the answer to everything is privatization - but why expose the most vulnerable people to the free market, when you know the guiding principle there is profits, not people.
Under these plans, these people would die sooner. Natural selection is a great way to trim costs. Sad, but true. This is the REAL Romney/Ryan plan. Mark my words.
The appointment of Ryan as Romney's running mate may net the GOP Wisconsin (10 electoral votes) but it will hand Florida (29 electoral votes) to the Democrats. Since Mitt can't even win his home state of Massachusetts (11 electoral votes), Wisconsin may not be a slam dunk for the Republicans, after all.
It would almost seem that the Ryan Plan contains provisions for the destruction of the Republican Party among its many hare-brained schemes.
President Obama by default in November! America is holding an election and the GOP is not planning on showing up!
For some reason the GOP thinks Wisconsin is the gateway to winning. They've put all their money on Prebius, Walker and Ryan. Wisconsin? Really? They were bought and paid for by the Koch brothers earlier this year. At least their keeping the Koch's happy.
Once again the Republican plan currently with Romney/Ryan leading the parade, is one that benefits them and others like them: the wealthiest Americans and those who currently earn so much money that they would never have to worry about programs such as Medicare/Medicaid.
It must be easy for people like Ryan and Romney who have so much money to issue plans that would never adversely effect them. But how does anyone earning less than $50,000 a year support such people? Why on earth would anyone earning less than $50,000 a year vote for either of them or anyone from the republican party?
The effects of Ryans plan and that of the republican party would so dramatically change the financial landscape of this country that the majority of Americans not only would never be able to retire, but if they incurred a serious illness it would probably bankrupt them.
The Ryan plan would basically cut any chance for the poorest people from reasonable existence to near starvation and seeking shelter. His plan would basically shift the burden of government assistance to American citizens to family members. If you don't have family to help, you'll be in dire straights.
But at the same time, he and the majority of other republicans shouting as loud as possible that the government must cut spending, would be more than willing to increase the budget of the military. People are literally living in the streets in mass numbers. People go without food on a daily basis. People have medical/dental issues which have to go untreated because they have no insurance or means to pay for the care. Romney/Ryan say this a shame but too bad. The government must cut entitlements. Then in the next breath they say that they will increase the budget for the military.
To make matters worse for the bottom 99%, their plan is to actually decrease the tax burden for the wealthiest individuals while increasing that to the people who need it most. In 2010 Romneys taxes were less than 15% while making millions. The average middle class individual pays about twice that amount. If that weren't bad enough, they want to further tip the scales by taking away more tax credits for the average wage earners while increase tax breaks for themselves.
This election choice is very clear. If you are very wealthy, vote republican and you will have even more. If you earn less than $100,000 you need to vote democrat or you will find yourself with even less income, little hope for retirement with any comfort and you better have a large next egg saved for your medical/dental expenses, because you will have to pay them out of pocket if the republicans have their way.
Of course the Republican plan increases spending on defense while decimating the poor and the middle class. Once the brain dead who vote for Republicans wake up to the reality of what is going on, the GOP is going to need the military to prevent the inevitable revolution and chaos their plans will lead to.
ZOMBIES for ROMNEY/RYAN 2012
The Romney/Ryan plan, heck Romney still can't pass GO without releasing "several years" tax returns for voters to see. Come clean Romney and show us at least 2008 and 2009!!
Romney thinks Ryan's plan is "marvelous" because Ryan's plan not only decreases the top income tax rate for earned income a full 10 points down from 35% to 25%, but ends all taxation for capital gains, carried interest, etc. -- Romney would no longer pay less than 13.9% but would legally pay only an .082% tax rate.
When Ryan submitted his plan (or should we say plot) he said to assume the tax cuts were revenue neutral -- in other words the old voodoo Reaganomics that tax cuts pay for themselves, especially for the rich who will "trickle-down" a few pennies to the rest of Americans.
Ryan's plan will not balance the budget, not even in 23 years because this is based on
erroneous assumptionssuperstitious lies. Holy friigin' cow, we have got to end the supply-side rubbish forever -- The Disastrous Duo would impose austerity on everyone except the rich, and make our country an Oligarchy overnight!!!!The 21st Century Robber Barons -- They aren't in it for you.
People like Ryan who use Reagan's tax cuts as evidence that cutting taxes increases government revenue are forgetting one thing. Reagan cut the top tax rate from 90% to 70%. A cut like that could very well increase investment and jobs, as there was still plenty of revenue to run the government and keep infrastructure and entitlements strong. Offshoring wasn't a problem yet, and the military spending was less than it is now, so people invested the extra in jobs which increased the tax base. Now we are talking about a tax cut from 35% to 25%. Since we already can't afford to maintain our infrastructure, our military has tripled, and the recession has caused more people to pay less taxes and need more help from the government, it is obvious to me that those millionaires who benefit from these massive tax cuts are not going to be investing their excess in American jobs and increasing the tax base. I would think this would be obvious if people would only think it through.
My QUESTION is how will these two idiots do their jobs if they took the NORQIST PLEDGE everyone should be very concerned, We have seen how this has affected our CONGRESS what do you all think will happen if DUMB & DUMBER get in? Which both have taken the PLEDGE!
The real scam with privatization is this: your Medicare budget DOES NOT GO DOWN, IT GOES UP. THAT MONEY GOES TO (A) SELECT CORPORATION(S) WHO THEN (taking out roughly 50% for "operating" costs-a profit, that's "free enterprise", right?) ISSUE THE PUBLIC VOUCHERS THAT HAVE A VALUE THEORETICALLY EQUIVALENT TO WHAT'S LEFT OVER OF THE MEDICARE BILLIONS THEY
STOLEPROCESSED. THEN THE SENIOR HAS TO USE THAT VOUCHER TO BUY HIS OWN MEDICAL INSURANCE. The real trick is, it's like the jewelry store that's always 75% off-it's prices are 4X what they should be so when it's 75% off, you're actually paying regular price. Same with the medical insurance, the voucher value has been inflated into the price of the medical insurance, so even when that's deducted you're paying full price for your own insurance.Got it? Corporations handling the vouchers are stealing all the billions in Medicare dollars, the medical insurance companies make record profits and the poor and middle classes pick up the tab for the criminal corporations and their partners in crime in government, the champions of "privatizing". Isn't criminal profiteering and price gouging disguised as "free enterprise" grand? They win, the common man, woman and child gets screwed like never before.
What's horrifying is half the people out there hear meaningless catch phrases and buy into these criminal plans and vote the crooks who wrote them in office.
"Privatization" will one day be on the same scornful level as "fascism" is when the world saw it in action during the WWII era. The world hasn't seen the evil, devious intent behind privatization YET. But you got to hand it to these criminals they wore nice suits, talked a lot of great patriotic meaningless catch-phrases and told you they were your friend as they bankrupted nations.
Romney is a Conservative.
Conservatives opposed Medicare.
Unless it is bombing unarmed civilians for 10,000 feet, putting someone to death or invading a women’s private medical decisions, conservatives have always hated anything to do with government. They tell their followers that this has to do with “freedom,” and “big government” interference with the “rugged individual” conservatives fantasize they are. It’s the nice story the conservative likes to tell himself on the way to cash his Social Security check, but it isn’t true. The real reason the conservative leadership opposes government is because government is the only organization large enough to tell the rich to pay their fair share, or regulate a corporation into “playing nice” Hence, the conservative hatred of anything that government does to promote the General Welfare.
Conservatives opposed Medicare for the same reason they opposed Social Security. It cuts into the potential profit of the 1%. It also affords the average citizen the ability to live in dignity. In the “Conservative Universe,” an economically-secure serf is an uppity serf. They like – and need – the people nice and economically desperate and easily exploitable. But they told their ignorant followers, “First you get Social Security – but next stop, it’s the gulag!”
Their soon-to-be-patron-saint, and reason why the American middle class is currently on life-support, Ronald Reagan actually cut an LP called “Ronald Reagan Speaks out against Socialized Medicine,” in which he warned the dumb that American “freedom” was in danger. He said, “Pretty soon your son won’t decide when he’s in school, where he will go or what he will do for a living. He will wait for the government to tell him.” But again, the REAL reason the conservative leadership opposed Medicare was because they feared it would take America one step closer to offering health care as a right of citizenship – like the rest of the civilized world – and the gravy train would end for those conservative donors who got rich denying people health care benefits.
Obama cuts Medicare cost by $700 billion without cuts in benefits. Good, right?
Ryan incorporates those savings into his Medicare overhaul plan. Ok, right?
Bishop Romney vows to repeal Obamacare and reverse the cost savings.
So cutting government spending is good if a GOP initiative but bad if an Obama initiative?
So Ryan and Romney are diametrically opposed on this issue?
LOYALTEXAN
we have seen Republicans change their position on giving more power to the states with the Welfare Reform so it doesn't surprise me that they are against cuts in Medicare costs.
ANYTHING President Obama is for, they are against.
Difference between the two plans is pretty clear. President Obama cut the cost by reducing payments to for profit medicare advantage providers and expanded the benefits to seniors. Romney and Ryan simply decided to cut the benefits to seniors in their Groupon plan. Obama = cost cutting, benefits up; Romney/Ryan, vouchers which cut benefits. Only brain dead Republicans can't see that the President has a better plan.
ZOMBIES for ROMNEY/RYAN 2012 !!!!
Someone needs to explain to me why the GOP is so against Medicare and Social Security which is paid into by the recipients. While they think their health insurance and pensions which they don't pay a dime into are just fine. It's time America wakes up and sees how these politicians are ripping us off for their own personal gain. The only reason their politicians is because they've failed at what ever career they were in. The only reason they want to be elected is so they can go to congress show up for about six months out of the year ( I said show up not work) and draw their paid for health insurance and pension for life.
Mo, I'll be happy to explain why the Republicans are so against Medicare and Social Security....No Profit in it for them. You see, it's all about moneyy to them. People don't really matter. Nothing matters but money. During the Reagan years the mantra was "greed is good" and many of them have kept that mantra and expanded upon it. It actually goes deeper than that. In the past when FDR and the Democrats introduced Social Security it was the Republicans who fought it tooth and nail. They have opposed almost everything that has helped people and little that has helped corporations or the greedy become richer. History, custom, tradition, call it what you will, that is why we have the ridiculous Ryan budget and why Romney/Ryan will lose by a landslide in November.
Both SS & Medicare require matching contributions by employers and, if self employed, full contributions by an individual. Both programs are methods of improving the lives of millions of real live human people, at the expense of the corporation type people. That's why Republicans don't like these programs. Corporations aren't real live people so they don't benefit from these programs. Only live people do.
ZOMBIES for ROMNEY/RYAN 2012
“If Congressman Ryan is asked to help a Wisconsin entity applying for existing federal grant funds, he does not believe flawed policy should get in the way of doing his job and providing a legitimate constituent service to his employers.”
You are so right Congressman, you just can't let principle get in the way of bringing home the pork to the local voters. Besides, it was just one tiny congressional district, not like we were spending money on the whole damn state, gosh darn it.
My QUESTION is how will these two idiots do their jobs if they took the NORQIST PLEDGE everyone should be very concerned, We have seen how this has affected our CONGRESS what do you all think will happen if DUMB & DUMBER get in? Which both have taken the PLEDGE!
Romney and Ryan want to privatize Social Security, and give that money to Wall Street. They'd pay for this by eliminating deductions like the mortgage deductions many Americans rely on. They want to eliminate the Capital Gains tax, so they and their buddies can pay even less in taxes.
Ryan was voted biggest brown-noser in high school, quite a claim to fame!
You forgot "Prom" King. What a guy, geez, I don't think ryan ever missed a meal, so really can't relate to hardship or middle class, poor struggles. Another wunder- kind from the wealthy. Spare me.
Obama 2012
It would be swell if Romney comes under scrutiny. Lawd knows Obama hasn't. Perhaps he will, it's only fair.
So if both come under scrutiny, it's just good old governemnt tit for private sector tat.
Ryan runs smack into the conundrum Obama faced with his health care plan which is healthy people opting out. Under Ryan's plan healthy seniors would be motivated to use the vouchers as they would not be afraid of maxing out. The ailing will choose the traditional plan. Result, no savings or actual cost increase.
Obama had the same problem which he addressed with the mandatory insurance provision.
For the Ryan plan to work, he will need some control over gaming the system which means Government control over private health care decisions.
How is that going to work for the Teapublicans?
So glad the Mormon picked the Moron.
ryan and his sh!t eating grin
isnt it amazing how the palin death pannels are the ryan plan?
This from a recent edition of Veterans Today:
My QUESTION is how will these two idiots do their jobs if they took the NORQIST PLEDGE everyone should be very concerned, We have seen how this has affected our CONGRESS what do you all think will happen if DUMB & DUMBER get in? Which both have taken the PLEDGE!
We'll ignore the entire post instead, OK?
Can we asssume that you're a fan of Stinky (BO) and will be voting for him and his monkey again?
The Ryan Medicare Plan takes all of Obama's cuts, but then goes on to say that Medicare is a too-expensive, wasteful, budget-busting plan that should be replaced by Vouchers to buy private health insurance. BUT we are not going to do that for anyone 55+. (We need their votes.)
If you are 55+, and think that people under 55--who will NEVER use Medicare--will fund YOUR "too-expensive, wasteful, budget-busting plan"--FOREVER, then you are betting your life against human nature and GOP politics.
This is the sort of Right-Wing Think Tank thinking you get, from a man who spent his formative years in one.
We need to work more on Medicare's costs--particularly at the end of life.
One source of savings would be incentives to have a Living Will. (These are the "Death Panels" that GOP Senator Skelton (GA) proposed, until Gov. Palin & Fox started to try him for heresy.)
Romney/Ryan the ratso twins are bad for ones health, Granny really will be sent over the cliff with proposed ryan medicaid slashes. Ryan's record regarding Women's health and women's rights are abysmal. Even the Catholic Bishops condemn ryan's plan and that is really going some. If people buy into this plan do they really think the republicans won't tweak it so more "enhancements" can be added.
Obama 2012
The bottom line here is this: Ryan 'smells' worse than Romney, but they both smell really bad for the middle class.
This election is just about a walkover for Obama now. On Ryan's first day outside of Wisconsin, he was asked time and time again about his "budget" plan, heckled with "Are you going to cut Medicare" over and over again! They know it's not right to turn Medicare into voucher system when they've paid year after year for what's available now! No wonder why operatives in the GOP are saying Romney has ceded the election to Obama.
What I'm waiting for after the conventions, is how long will it be before Karl Rove turns his SuperPAC towards the congressional and Senate races, and away from Romney. It won't be long because they're worried this VP pick will cost them seats there, too. It's just a matter of time now!
Rats have a problem they sh t where they eat, for the American 99% its on us.
Obama 2012
So Ryan voted against the Stimulus but had his hand out for money. Guess it was a good thing after all. Typical Republican hypocrisy.
I keep hearing how they are going to do this and how they are going to do that..NOTHING CONCRETE!All in the sky..all airy fairy!
Hey!! Can we vett BOTH candidates this time, or we gonna just stick with the one again?
"The Obama bail out??? How about Dumb W's bailout that mostly went to giving tax dollars so bankers could have multimillion dollar bonuses? Romney want's to give them more and let them set their own regulations. We are living the result of that kind of thinking now.