The Medicare screwups and resulting crisis for seniors - by design?

[ComerPerro]

I don't want this to sound like a crazy conspiracy thread.

But lets look at this program.

It has cost us untold billions so far, and it wasn't even set up properly. Now it is recognized almost everywhere in the US as a massive failure and a disaster.

Maybe the Republicans didn't plan for this mess to happen, maybe it just happened through their sheer incompetence and disregard for human life.

But when you think about it, this really works to their advantage.

Imagine, in 2006, when Democrats try to campaign on Health Care issues. Odds are that they are going to want to propose some sort of Government-run or regulated program, to provide health care to more, if not all, Americans.

Now that this Medicare disaster is on record as a waste of money and a failure, it will seriously cripple any effort to pass national health care.

Republicans will be able to say, "See, Government programs just don't work. They waste money and don't help the people they are intended to help. That's why private enterprise is better".

One reason this group of Republicans has been able to win so often is because they have actually been able to campaign on their failures!

The same logic could be applied to National Security, for example. "We need a strong leader like Bush who will stand up to other nations and the UN, because diplomacy doesn't work!". - Yeah, Bush diplomacy doesn't work, because he is an idiot and an asshole, and the rest of the world can see right through him.



So, I must pose the question:

How many people here think that this medicare mess will hurt Bush and the GOP? And how many people think that this will be used to their advantage, to help rally people against liberalism and "big government".

Bottom line: Who gets the blame for this mess?

[liberal N proud]

1. I know that my parents have been pressured to sign up

They almost did until they realized they would loose the excellent plan they had through their retirement package from my fathers job.
I have believed it to be a scam from the start.
Anything George W. Bu$h is involved in has one motive. Profit for his cronies.

[ComerPerro]

5. Well, yes, the profit is of course a motive

But what I am wondering is: When people started to wake up to how bad this is (as they are doing now), was it always their plan to pin it on Big Government and use it as an example that government programs do not work?

[Zenlitened]

2. Beautifully stated.

:applause:

[rodeodance]

3. "incompetence and disregard for human life."--and greed. Bushco wants

this as one of his successes.

[rfranklin]

4. Twin objectives: Massive profits and destruction of programs...

this is the modus operandi and raison d'etre of the criminals who call themselves conservatives. Any money in your pocket or to your account is money that they must have--you do not deserve it and they are entitled by divine right to take it. Since the government has shaped by the Democrats and liberals to look out for the general welfare it must be destroyed. It only makes people weak and unable to work in the fields for 12 hours a day on meager rations while being whupped.

[ComerPerro]

7. Well said

[Lerkfish]

6. yes and yes...however, I think its baser than that: graft and skimming

of connected private corporate creatures.

so, I think its a several point plan to:

1. eliminate social programs in general eventually so we can buy more guns.
2. in the mean time, funnel largers sums to pharmaterrorits corporations and private insuraterrorists.
3. kill off the elderly

[ComerPerro]

8. If the elderly can't afford perscription drugs, that fixes Social Security

right?

Sick....

You nailed exactly what I was going for.

Part of the reason this administration does so well, aside from the lies and the fraud, is their ability to turn their failures into success. They can thank the media for that.

[Lerkfish]

9. well, either through incompetence or design, the result is the same.

our elderly are being set adrift on ice floes to die or be eaten by polar bears.

[Zenlitened]

10. Kick.

[LiberalAndProud]

11. Hurts 'em.

The Medicare Prescription Benefit is emptying pockets of people who vote. Bush did it and the Republican party will reap the reward.

[yankeedem]

12. You are right in so many ways

The only way to make America reject social programs is to destroy their belief in them...

Republicans
-- Destroy schools to win support for vouchers

-- Reject diplomacy to win support for war

-- Destroy healthcare to win support for removing public healthcare

-- Undermine the financial stability of Social Security to win support for privatization

-- Destroy the concept of disaster relief by rendering FEMA impotent

and so on and so on

I read somewhere an ominous comment attributed to Bill Bennett- someone had proposed something for the school- which was rejected by Bennett, who said he didn't want the program because it might make schools better and undermine support for vouchers. These are sick folks.