Steady Support for Medicare
FLORIDA: "Florida Republican voters have a clear feeling about cuts to Medicare and Social Security: Don’t do it, according to a new poll by the AARP. By wide margins, the survey shows that Republicans of all kinds -- whether they’re Hispanic, moderates or in the tea party -- would rather fix the nation’s budget by withdrawing from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, eliminating foreign aid or eliminating so-called tax loopholes."
IOWA: AARP poll: Some Iowa Republicans disagree with their candidates on entitlement programs. "The more notable numbers from the survey are that 64.5 percent of Iowans polled oppose cutting Social Security benefits to aid the national deficit, and 67.3 percent oppose reducing Medicare."
The results are unwavering as is Americans' support for Medicare. Yet, Conservative Republican leaders and elected officials do not listen.
Joint Committee: Huh?
"The Republican co-chair of the so-called 'super committee' trying to forge a major deficit reduction deal said Sunday that a two-step process is possible in which the bipartisan panel sets a figure for increased revenue from tax reform that congressional committees then set in legislation."
"Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling told CNN’s 'State of the Union' that he remains hopeful for a comprehensive deal, but he made clear that an alternative could leave it to Congress to figure out how to implement results agreed upon by the 12-member panel made up of equal numbers of House and Senate Democrats and Republicans."
Huh? So, the Joint Committee might, in fact, do little more than set up some kind of broad framework (which was given to them) -- perhaps something less than the cuts that would be imposed without an agreement by them -- and then leave it to Congress to fix the problem -- the same Congress that couldn't solve this problem in the first place and probably can' solve any problems at all. Sounds like "duck and run" or a fake solution. Pitiful. Clearly, the Conservative Republicans are still holding out for their 1 percent, still trying to avoid any tax accountability for the wealthy. Fair tax reform under current circumstances is simply not possible and shouldn't even be suggested. Better to do "simple" tax increases.
Romney-Vouch -- $$ Would Be "Attributed" to a Vet
"Talking with the veterans about the challenge of navigating the Veterans Affairs bureaucracy to get their health care benefits after they leave active duty, Romney suggested a way to improve the system would be to privatize it. 'Sometimes you wonder, would there be some way to introduce some private sector competition, somebody else that could come in and say, you know, each soldier gets X thousand dollars attributed to them and then they can choose whether they want to go on the government system or the private system and then it follows them, like what happens with schools in Florida where they have a voucher that follows them....' "
"The idea is similar to Romney’s plan for Medicare, which would allow recipients to choose a private plan instead of the classic government-run health care structure."
Give the Conservative Republicans their due: they never give up. They think their rich private sector friends should have a chance to replace government services which are delivered without a profit with services which are . . . delivered with a profit. Cost plus? These large-scale, profit-making enterprises, particularly in the health and medical industry, make more money for the wealthy. (See how well de-regulation of the airline industry has worked? See how well privatization of the postal service has worked?) The VA has a commitment to veterans; these companies will have a commitment to the bottom line.
Boehner's Hypocrisy
"House Democrats charged Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) this week with talking out of both sides of his mouth when it comes to congressional efforts to fight poverty. The lawmakers contend Boehner's recent remarks in support of low-income safety-net programs are hypocritical in the face of the GOP's hopes to slash funding for the same initiatives. 'This Congress has continuously attacked poor people,' Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) told The Hill. 'Republicans believe you can cut programs that help poor people and there will be no political consequences.'"
For Your Information
The Republican Reality-Free Zone: Presidential Foreign Policy Debate Version
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