Michael Steele: Protect Medicare -- And Medicare Doesn't Work

[SemiCharmedQuark]

From TPM:

RNC Chairman Michael Steele appeared on Fox News this morning, putting forward an interesting case on Medicare: That it must be preserved against the threats from the Democrats -- and that it's a bad system that shouldn't be expanded like the Democrats want.

"They're proposing up to $550 billion in cuts or shifting of funds out of Medicare, and I don't know what that means, and our seniors don't know what that means," said Steele. "And as we get into the debate this fall, I'd like some clarity on it."

Steele was shown video of Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), who challenged Steele and other critics with the question of if they oppose a single-payer system, then why don't they oppose Medicare? At this point, Steele got into his critique of Medicare, calling it a bankrupt system.

"The reality of it is, this single-payer program known as Medicare is a very good example of what we should not have happen with all of our health care," said Steele. "The reality of it is, how many times have we been at the trough of bankruptcy and no money for the Medicare program, where Congress is running around like chickens with their head cut off, trying to figure out how to fix a program that they've already mismanaged? So now you want to do that, Congressman, on a larger scale? You want to include all of us. You're talking about taking our senior population, and expanding it to all of the population? Government cannot run a health care system. they've already shown that. Trust the private markets to do it the right way."

One important thing Steele didn't mention: The main reason for Medicare's current financial troubles is that the Republicans passed an enormous expansion of it in 2003, with the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, without making any tax increases or other spending cuts to pay for it. Steele and other Republicans are now citing this easily-predictable fiscal disaster as proof that government can't run a health care system, and we shouldn't trust the Democrats' proposals.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/steele-protect-medicare----and-medicare-doesnt-work.php



To Michael Steele: The GOP's own Epic Fail Guy

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. The GOP want to privatize healthcare completely - no medicare/medicare

and no social security. They want the free market (ie. the big juicy corps. to rule the country).

[Winterblues]

2. It was privatized. There is a reason for it's existance

The Private Market did not work at all and Seniors were left out in the cold, without a job or income or health care and Democrats saw fit to protect them, hence Social Security and Medicare...Republicans had a great opportunity to register their disapproval of Medicare on a recent health Care Bill. There was an amendment to do away with Medicare completely and not a single Republican voted for that amendment..

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. because they are not in power and we are lucky that they are not!

[NC_Nurse]

3. Could he BE any more ridiculous? He must've gone to school with Beck and Palin.