Implementing Obamacare: A New Exercise in Old-Fashioned Central Planning

Heritage Foundation ^ | Sept. 10, 2010 | John S. Hoff

[Jim Noble]

We are no longer talking the original $523 Billion in Medicare cuts, BUT TRILLIONS in GUTTING Medicare for our vulnerable seniors.

Granted that "our vulnerable seniors" desire and could benefit from "trillions" in expenditures for medical services, who do you think should pay for those expenditures?

Assuming you believe that those seniors and their families are not the responsible parties, how do you think those trillions should be raised and distributed?

I hope you don't think the answer is printing money and borrowing more money from China.

You don't think that, do you?

[Jim Noble]

The tax laws are a good example, but there is at least a constitutional nexus for the IRS. I mean, if Congress has the power to levy taxes on income, from whatever source derived, SOMEBODY has to a) find the income, b) classify it for tax purposes, and c) collect the money.

My personal favorite is the Environmental Protection Act. First, the claimed power to legislate does not exist. Second, the thicket of regulation is now so thick that ANYONE can become a criminal, at any time, without Congress or an Article III court ever becoming involved.

And, most importantly, congressthings complain about "overzealous enforcement" by the EPA constantly, when the whole thing is their fault in the first place.

[GailA]

No I don’t. We are talking about people (70+) no longer capable of taking care of themselves, who faithfully paid into the system all their lives.

Medicare needs fixing, do doubt about it, there is to much waste and fraud.

The government should never have been able to raid those funds for any other spending programs, then we wouldn’t be talking about a bankrupt Medicare or Social Security system.

[Jim Noble]

We are talking about people (70+) no longer capable of taking care of themselves, who faithfully paid into the system all their lives.

Whatever.

The fact is, what they paid into the system is insufficient - by trillions of dollars - to pay for the benefits they've been promised. "Waste, fraud, and abuse" is not significant in the big picture, and, whether or not politicians have "stolen the money", there is not enough money to pay the promised benefits.

Your choices are:

1) Cut benefits by trillions ("gut Medicare", as you put it)

2) Raise taxes on current producers by trillions

3) Print and borrow enough money to pay the benefits.

So far, we've been doing #3.

What's your preference going forward?

[GailA]

You forget that seniors also pay monthly premiums for Medicare on top of the taxes they already paid into the system. That can be raised some.

These cuts are designed to force through total socialized medicine on the entire population.