Obama and Rivals Duck Entitlement Crisis

[CalHunter]

And so do both houses of congress and both political parties.



http://www.rasmussenreports.com/publ...tlement_crisis

[falcon]

And so do both houses of congress and both political parties.

Neither party wants to take on the entitlement mess: It's a third rail for them. Republicans and Democrats in DC will posture, lie, wuss around and do nothing about the entitlement crisis. Little wonder congress's approval rating is lower than whale crap.

[Fieldmouse]

Man, I need the BS spray. Both of you made the cut. Tell me again who isn't trying to address the entitlement issue?

This year, Republicans addressed entitlements again, in the budget prepared by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan and approved in the House. ***
His proposal was to shift Medicare from the current plan to "premium support," in which seniors would get subsidies to pay for their choice of competing insurance plans. This is similar to the Part D Medicare prescription drug program that has won wide acceptance and has cost far less than projections. ***

[sachiko]

I think there are two reasons why we are not seeing much action on this question.

1- It hasn't risen to the level of a crisis, yet.

2- The Republicans will have to take the lead on this, but will have to proceed slowly lest they arouse the ire of the senior citizens. Look for small changes over the course of time, each one having only a small effect.

The concept of "premium support" is a sham and a scam. Premiums will continue to rise while the "premium support" rises at a much slower rate if at all.

The solution is to make the benefits needs-based. It will seeem fair to most people and those who can afford to pay more will shrug off the decrease in benefits as a necessity. An increase in the payroll tax might also be needed.

[Howler]

if there were term limits on both the members of the House and Senate, they would maybe get something done and quit worrying about being re-elected..

[Fieldmouse]

Originally Posted by Howler

if there were term limits on both the members of the House and Senate, they would maybe get something done and quit worrying about being re-elected..

Can't agree with that. What's needed is the repeal of the 17th amendment and return the selection of Senator back to its proper place in state legislatures and not directly elected by the people because they don't represent the people.