[lelio]

Where was the "Bush signs Medicare bill -- the LIVE THREAD"? I was looking for it all this morning during his talk.

[PhiKapMom]

Thought you would be interested to see what one of the most conservative Senators has to say about why he, Senator Inhofe, supported the bill. Would say if my Senator supports the bill, then the naysayers better take another look at the bill before believing everything they read or hear:

Inhofe defends Medicare reform bill vote

by Sean Murphy
CHNI Capitol Bureau

Edmond - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe took aim at environmental activists and defended his recent vote in favor of a landmark Medicare reform bill during a luncheon visit Wednesday in Edmond.

Speaking to a group of about 25 Edmond city officials and community leaders at a local restaurant, Inhofe, R-Tulsa, said that despite overwhelming opposition to the Medicare reform bill, he supported the measure because of the help it will bring to rural hospitals in Oklahoma.

Specifically, he praised a provision in the bill that would increase the cap on Medical payments to Oklahoma's critical-access hospitals, which serve a large number of low-income Medicare and Medicaid patients, from 5.25 percent to 12 percent in 2004.

"These provisions (in the bill) will probably save 40 hospitals in Oklahoma," Inhofe said.

Inhofe said the measure provides a voluntary prescription drug benefit program for Medicare beneficiaries and will expand drug benefits to the nation's poorest citizens.

"This will allow a lot of very poor people to have access to drugs," Inhofe said. "I felt it was a good vote, and I'm not ashamed of it."

[Trust but Verify]

I'm not happy with this bill at all, but I'll crawl through broken glass to make sure a Democrat doesn't get elected next year. Some you win, some you lose.

[Dane]

Bush does win on the politics, but its not a political victory for conservatives or for the GOP in the long term.

And you can give me a stock tip to make a million dollars tomorrow?

Yeah, Yeah, you will say that the tax cuts will be the first casualty. I don't think so, JMO. I think Bush will go into the 2004 campaign to make the tax cuts permanent and call for a permanent end to the death tax.

But have fun doing your best Chicken Little impression.

[JohnGalt]

I have lost sympathy for these so called 'Conservative' institution who continue to ignore that welfare always follows warfare. Had they made a bigger stink about the debt financed war in Iraq and Afghanistan, perhaps they could have been more effective in preventing the passage of this bill in the first place.

[SunStar]

Bush is just filling another campaign promise. Did you think he was just bullsh*tting to win the 2000 election?

[dts32041]

This goes along with the funding, for the NEA, farm bill bail out.

The pubbies are becoming the junior slave masters in the US.

[Dan from Michigan]

Mo money mo money mo money.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

Alternate title:

"Its the Bush reelection campaign, Stupid"

[Trust but Verify]

Tax cuts do not mean reduced tax revenue, and, as a Reagan admirer, you should know that. The Medicare Bill, as faulty as it is, will not mean the end of tax cuts.

Additionally, I believe Bush will go back to this issue, and get more reform, just as he did with the second round of tax cuts.

My father-in-law is a lifelong democrat and he thinks Bush took what he could get and will be back for round two.

[NittanyLion]

Good analysis. You're exactly right on this, of course. The GOP has passed tax cuts that will expire shortly after a potential second term; now they've done the same with a huge new entitlement program. Whether by design or out of necessity, they've created an environment where 8-10 years down the road the government will have some impossible decisions to make. They've delivered in the short-term, but any right-thinking conservative has to know we'll be left holding the bag in just a few years.

If limited government is the correct philosophy, why is it the GOP is so afraid of trying it?

[Khurkris]

Now watch how fast Teddy K and Nancy Pelosy line up some 'suffering Senior Citizens' to wail and moan about how terrible this legislation REALLY is.

[NRA2BFree]

What the President signed into law today, was not what he ran on in 2000. President Bush has proven, he is a BIG GOVERNMENT Republican.

BIG GOVERNMENT Republican is synonymous to the new LIBERAL Republican! There is NO difference. When you*re getting porked it doesn*t matter whether a Liberal Democrat is doing it or a Liberal Republican is. The bottom line is still the same, and taxpayers are going to pay.

[Wright is right!]

The net result of this bill will be a PRIVATIZATION of the drug benny. WHY?

The insurance industry will rush in to offer MediGap policies that make it cheaper for seasoned citizens to buy those policies rather than accept the Mediscare plan. After all, you can't have BOTH MediGap AND the Mediscare drug plan. The insurance folks would rather come up with a more attractive but less profitable MediGap drug plan than sell no policies at all. The Medicare drug plan will end up covering only those who are completely uninsurable. All the rest will find private insurance more affordable. The bottom line will likely be LESS money spent on prescription drug benefits by Mediscare.

It's actually a good approach. Which is why Teddy Kennedy is so rabidly against it.

Michael

[unixfox]

I guess the pubbies think this will sway votes in the next election.

They STILL underestimate their enemies. Pandering is just another word for CHICKEN.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The GOP's attempt to out-liberal the liberals in order to buy the people's love continues. My mother in law (FDR Democrat) is already complaining that the $400 BILLION doesn't go far enough.

[hosepipe]

For a couple of billion, maybe less, NAH!, we could investigate the drug industry, and spend even more money to find why Canada gets a discount but not us... with the truth being, even Canada is getting ripped off...