Juan_Bottom wrote:
I don't understand the chart.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that Ryan's plan would not only raise the cost of Medicare, it would also reduce the amount of Federal government spending on Medicare.
Why don't you post a chart from this Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that projects the amount the Federal Government is planning on spending in
Medicare (Note, not
Medicaid, they are two separate programs).
Ryan isn't cutting any spending on Medicare. Obamacare on the other hand, is cutting somewhere between $500 billion to $700 billion over the next ten years.
That's already passed as you know and the cuts start taking effect in probably 2014.
Ryan isn't going to cut any Medicare, that's suicide.
The chart I posted is just total spending. Nothing about conditions or anything else. Just gross $'s. Ryan's plan
increases spending on Medicare.
Now, this is important, Ryan plans to keep
Medicaid spending flat. This is very important to this point-
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities wrote:a deficit-reduction package would almost certainly make deep cuts in federal funds that support states and localities as they perform many basic public functions, including educating children, building roads and bridges, protecting public health, and providing law enforcement.
You see, Medicaid is funded mostly by
the states, it's a huge unfunded mandate by the Federal government, of which the US government is famous for. If you were to go to any given State's budget, you'd find that
Medicaid is probably the biggest cost in the budget. 25% or more for many States.
As you should know, Medicaid is a Joint Federal-State program. If the Federal government doesn't keep up with the costs, that is, not increasing it's share of the payments as the cost of the program invariably rises, indeed transfer's the costs of the program to the States.
You seem to be lumping it all in together and making assertions as evidenced by this-
JB wrote:They would simply push that cost onto the states.
You see, you are talking about Medicaid here, not Medicare. Medicare is a pure Federal Program, the States don't pay for it. The States
do however, pay the lion's share of
Medicaid.
If the Federal Government cuts Medicare, it doesn't matter to the States, they don't pay for it. It doesn't transfer crap to the States.
So please don't go lumping the two together and trying to make claims about Medicare that apply to Medicaid. Ryan isn't proposing cutting a damn thing from Medicare, quite the contrary. I looked at that site you mentioned, they seem to just be lumping together everything just like you are.
Think man, think! Post a chart from that site comparing Ryan's plans on
Medicare alone and you'll see. Obama is cutting Medicare (for the benefit of other areas), Ryan is increasing Medicare (at the expense of other areas).
Either way, both plans end up at the same place, different policies that have the exact same results. Fiscal insanity.
Don't forget, everything about economics is about
Trade offs. There is no getting around that truth.
Medicare, since the baby boomers are a big voter segment, is not going to be messed with. At least not any more than it is already being gutted by Obamacare.
Medicaid, on the other hand, the poor and downtrodden aren't so much of a voting block I suppose, and thus is ripe to be cut. Except this is going head long into Obamacare, which is expanding Medicaid by leaps and bounds at the expense of Medicare. Don't think for a moment this won't be played up to the old folks.
It's funny watching the lib talking heads contort in various fashions to hide this fact.
It's almost as funny as the conservatives bowing at the alter of Ryan's "courageous" fiscal stand when he makes no stand at all nor cuts the overall government debt a single cent. The national debt is going to increase at a very slightly less rate under Ryan's plans than Obama's, but either way, $20+ trillion dollars can't be paid back. Ever.
By 2021 just to service the debt is going to cost, per year, a minimum of $800 billion, and by some estimates $1.5 trillion.
Just to service the debt!.
The US will be paying interest on debt that far exceeds the entire budgets of some 95% of the nations of the world. Talk about insane! It's hilarious if it weren't so tragic when considering what this means for the next generation.
Both Ryan and Obama plans don't do a damn thing to fix anything at all. Both plans are a sure course to complete fiscal collapse. There is no growing our way out of this. Debt is growing faster than GDP. There is no if's ands or buts about it. It is unsustainable.
But, all the while, there are people on this side and that side pointing fingers at each other when both the Dems and the Reps are complete idiots when it comes to
our money. It's pathetic.
JB wrote: And isn't "freezing spending" irresponsible if the actual costs are rising?
Isn't spending money you don't have irresponsible?
Isn't borrowing money that you will never be able to ever pay back also irresponsible? (Not to mention immoral, unethical, fraudulent?)
The thing about government is when the crap hits the fan, finding someone who was supposed to be "responsible", tends to be quite difficult......
That applies to both parties obviously.
