From WSJ:
While I completely agree that all these social programs have been nothing more than Ponzi schemes since their inception, real reform doesn't take place by just cutting benefits. Seniors, including myself, have subsidized these programs their entire working careers, and are then forced to participate in Medicare for which we pay a monthly premium. Think about this; if Medicare and Medicaid are such a drain on the aspirations of the big spenders in Washington, then exactly how would Obamacare solve that problem? It won't - and everyone with more than two black-eyed peas rattling around in their head knows this.In a speech Wednesday, Mr. Obama will propose cuts to entitlement programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, and changes to Social Security, a discussion he has largely left to Democrats and Republicans in Congress. He also will call for tax increases for people making over $250,000 a year, a proposal contained in his 2012 budget, and changing parts of the tax code he thinks benefit the wealthy. source
Wednesday, he will again bring up the "waste and fraud" (well, duh!) in Medicare. Of course, Obamacare, with it's attendant 159 new departments, will have no waste and fraud. If you believe that, you need to start riding a unicorn to work to save money on gasoline, which has hit well over $4.00 a gallon in some areas of the country.
Paul Ryan's budget proposes long-term fixes to Medicare and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) says we're “Pulling the rug out from under seniors." “A path to poverty for America’s seniors and children,” claims House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). I guess it's better to just cut the programs rather than reform them. That makes perfect sense.
I've heard no reports of eliminating unconstitutional departments like the EPA, Education, Interior, and, God forbid, Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the country. Instead on Wednesday, we'll hear about the "evil rich", and how they are the cause of all our problems, when we know that even if we confiscated every dime they had it wouldn't make the tiniest dent in the escalating cost of running this country.
He'll promise to protect the "middle class" by not raising their taxes. Really? Really? When was the last time Obama ever went to a grocery store or filled the gas tank of a car? Folks - the higher prices we are paying are taxes and we, the middle class, are paying them.
So what's the driving force behind telling the American people that Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security have to be cut and taxes raised on those evil rich people? Why is he willing to anger the majority of the voting people? The fact is, we don't know anything about the forces pulling the strings in this government, and probably never will. One thing I do know is this; the 500 or so people in Washington, DC who dictate to the rest of us, down to the tiniest detail, including how we should live our lives, do not care about us or this country. All they really care about is that their gravy train keeps chugging down the tracks.
More:
MOTUS: David Plouffe, Ferris Bueller: Separated at Birth?
Real Clear Politics: Big Government on the Brink
The Other McCain: Obama, the Deficit-Hater
The Sentry Journal: The Sunshine Patiot: When it becomes personal
Warner Todd Huston: 429 Pages of New Regulations Wrought from 6 Pages of Obamacare
Pirate's Cove: Surprise! Obama’s Deficit “Plan” Will Include Tax Increases
James C. Capretta: Priorities for a New Congress