Former NYT Reporter Egan Opines on GOP's 'Need for Greed' to Pass Ryan's 'Radical' Medicare Plan
Tuesday’s New York Times featured a rare excursion into print by Timothy Egan, liberal Times reporter turned leftist nytimes.com blogger, excoriating Republicans like Rep. Paul Ryan and the "Tea Party political illiterates" as greed-heads for wanting to reform the bankrupt Medicare system: "The Need for Greed."
The bet was audacious from the beginning, and given the miserable, low-down tenor of contemporary politics, not unfathomable: Could you divide the country between greedy geezers and everyone else as a way to radically alter the social contract?
But in order for the Republican plan to turn Medicare, one of most popular government programs in history, into a much-diminished voucher system, the greed card had to work.
The plan’s architect, Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, drew a line in the actuarial sand: Anyone born before 1957 would not be affected. They could enjoy the single-payer, socialized medical care program that has allowed millions of people to live extended lives of dignity and decent health care.
And their kids and grandkids? Sorry, they would have to take their little voucher and pay some private insurer nearly twice as much as a senior pays for basic government coverage today. In essence, Republicans would break up the population between an I’ve Got Mine segment and The Left Behinds.
Egan claims but doesn't offer evidence (beyond polling in a strange special election in New York State and a handy Newt Gingrich quote) that "This plan is toast." Egan’s government-centric view of a quality life permeates his op-ed.
Beyond the political calculations, all of this is encouraging news because it shows that people are starting to think much harder about what kind of country they want to live in. Give the Republicans credit for honesty and showing their true colors. And their plan is at least a starting point compared with those Tea Party political illiterates who waved signs urging government to keep its hands off their government health care.
Egan has a simple fix:
There is a very simple way to make Medicare whole through the end of this century, far less complicated, and more of a bargain in the long run than the bizarre Ryan plan. Raise taxes....
Why didn’t we think of that before?
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Comments
Wow! If that isn't an open
Submitted by Beukeboom on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 1:34pm.
Wow! If that isn't an open declaration of class warfare, I don't know what is.
Typical liberal fear-mongering. That's all they got.
2008: The top 53% paid 100%
Submitted by pwoz on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 1:57pm.
2008: The top 53% paid 100% federal taxes. 47% paid $0.
2009 (latest figures from the BLS): 49% paid 100%, 51% paid $0.
Some non-taxpayers get "refunds"
Submitted by nkviking75 on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 2:32pm.
...and some of that 47% got "refunds" even if they didn't earn enough to trigger withholding, and others got refunds that exceeded what was withheld. It's because of the "Earned Income Tax Credit".
“Always love your country — but never trust your government!" -- Bob Novak (1931-2009)
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Oh yea, all that "free" money
Submitted by pwoz on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 3:19pm.
Oh yea, all that "free" money people get just for breeding and whatever other vote-buying credits exist. It sickens me!
"Need for Greed"
Submitted by Robin Green on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 1:58pm.
A few years ago, I had opportunity to meet Cherokee Principal Chief Chad Smith (I am a member of the Cherokee Tribe). At that meeting, he was asked about a congressional resolution that was being discussed of an apology to Native Americans. He said he shared the view of other tribes' leaders, as one said, "I just want them to do what they promised."
Senior citizens are hardly "greedy" for wanting the same thing, for government to do what they promised.
Raising taxes is not a simple answer
Submitted by nkviking75 on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 2:36pm.
Raising taxes isn't that simple. Once they're raised too high, they cause people to react in ways that cause tax revenues to drop. And the reverse of that is what we saw under Kennedy, Reagan, and Bush. When they cut taxes, revenues went up. Unfortunately, Congress saw that as a reason to spend far more money.
“Always love your country — but never trust your government!" -- Bob Novak (1931-2009)
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
They never stop
Submitted by Mark81150 on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 2:43pm.
I just had a similar read over at Breitbart, got accused by a troll of being a greedy SOB, because I favored the Ryan plan, and am already retireed on disability (51), like I had a choice in it.
These Government is my only savior types have systematically eradicated any attempt to find alternatives to social security, medicare, medicaid, and now that they have forced everyone into a system that is the only game in town.... they scream you're some kind of greedy monster if you vote to save it from bankruptcy.
un-flippin-real....
They force everyone into a single ponzi scheme,.. then have the gall to viciously attack anyone who points that out, it should have been means tested from the get go, but to sell it, they refused so they could bribe the holdouts in with full benefits... the progressives built a regressive system that gives a pittence to grandma, while Warren Buffet gets a pile the size of his biggest yacht.
but we're greedy for trying to save the only system we have for many millions of Americans..
If they weren't such evil lying dirtbags.. it'd almost be funny.
Let's hear what algore has to
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 3:33pm.
Let's hear what algore has to say about greed. The only greed is from the government. What happened to all those state lotteries and casino profits that were supposed to put seniors on easy street?
I can't believe they are that rabidly stupid,...
Submitted by Mark81150 on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 3:38pm.
But the evidence is clear,..
I got through two pages of the comments there, and found one, exactly ONE comment in opposition to the article. Among NYT's readers the vote is in, and we can start lining up for the cattle cars to take us off to the extermination camps. I have never seen so much time invested in proclaiming a majority movement evil, greedy, crazy and criminal as I have in the NYT's comment threads. The only difference between them, and the halfwits at the democratic underground, is bigger words from an ivy league education.
They're just as deluded, just as bigoted, just as simple minded.
They all rend their clothing in frustration we don't have ann openly socialist healthcare system, and what's wrong with those ignorant Americans in flyover land that they hate socialism?.. don't they know it's the Christian way?
Nice,... more of the idiot rich and their love of the peoples revolutionary Marxist ideals.
If it wasn't so deadly for so many, it'd be fun to watch these inbreds have to actually live in Hugo's workers paradise, or Castro's happyland healthcare facility.
If they survived, their opinion would not.
They endlessly whine about FOX lies, yet repeat the same false claims over and over. Blind to the facts as well as to why anyone might think they could be wrong... they're progs.... and as all progs know, they are never wrong..
and if they are,... well it's the repugs fault anyway.
I've never been one to hate anything but communism, but I find it harder and harder, not to just give in and hate those leftwing morons right back.. they'd put the knife in us if they could... but no,.. I couldn't backstab another American, not even the poor excuse for ones who lurk in the NYT's comment threads..
I just end up feeling sorry for them.. it must suck to have so much money and all... and be such a miserable creature as they seem to be.. to hate us so much on such false information.
Yep. No such thing as free
Submitted by billea on Mon, 07/18/2011 - 5:48pm.
Yep. No such thing as free money. It all washes out in the end. Karma is ruthless...