Stalking the Poor to Soothe the Affluent, NY Times, Oct 26 2005

[Coastie for Truth]

mpoverished Americans are being set up as targets this week in Congress's desperate attempt to find budget cuts after four straight years of tax cuts for the affluent. House Republicans propose harmful cuts in Medicaid access and benefits, while forcing another 10 hours of work from welfare families and giving states free rein to pile more draconian reductions onto the most vulnerable citizens.

This gross political posturing does not even translate into true savings. While imperiously proclaiming cuts of $50 billion over five years, Congressional leaders are determined to fiddle more harmfully with the revenue half of the budget and to pass an additional $70 billion in upper-bracket tax cuts.

The proposals would have the federal government - supposedly the protector of the neediest - give the states broad leeway to restrict current benefits; to require co-payments by the poor for medicine and for care by doctors and emergency rooms; and to cut preventive care for children, who represent half of the Medicaid roll. The food stamp program would probably also be hit with a $1 billion cut, and even welfare payments to elderly people who are sick would be crimped by using federal bookkeeping tricks.

One particularly boneheaded proposal would severely cut the funds for child support enforcement by $4 billion. This program currently returns $4 in benefits from natural parents for every dollar invested.

Edited for brevity

[sarcasmo]

1. Cutting welfare to the elderly and the sick. This is what the Dem's

should run on for 08. These Reich wingers cut everything they can for the poor and elderly.

[Elidor]

2. I don't know how much more compassionate conservatism we can take

May the republicans and their democratic enablers rot in hell. If the dems DON'T run on this, they are even madder than I think.

[Joanne98]

3. Starve the poor, kill the sick and bury the old.........

Everybody else, WORK TO DEATH.......
The Republican Way......

[hvn_nbr_2]

4. Good Lord! Did lancing the Judy boil ...

uncover some remaining conscience at NYT?

[gristy]

5. Their principal aim is to enrich themselves. Important secondary

goals are to economically weaken the US (death by a thousand knives from within) AND to ensure that when taxes do need to be raised to get us out of this hole, they will be raised by Democrats and they will be raised by necessity on many more folks than just the filthy rich.

[phiddle]

6. The Republican Platform: Enrich the Rich

Many ways to do it: Wars, tax cuts, capital gains differential, deficits, etc.

[roguevalley]

7. may they all burn in hell.