Folks,

As we listen to both sides of the Medicare issue it becomes difficult to determine who is telling the truth. The Democrats or the Republicans?

Let me offer you a couple of facts and considerations that might help you decide this question.

1)    The Republicans say that Obama raided the Medicare Fund and took $716 billion out of Medicare to fund Obamacare and to get the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) to score Obamacare favorably, showing a reduction in the cost curve.

Conversely…….Obama and the Democrats say that they didn’t “raid” the Medicare Fund but instead they uncovered $716 billion of cost efficiencies in Medicare which resulted from cutting payments to providers. (Note: providers are the Insurance Companies and the doctors/hospitals).

Who do you believe? Who should you believe?

Well, let me offer you some insights that might help you make an intelligent and an informed decision.

First……if Obama and the Democrats had uncovered efficiencies in Medicare back in 2009, when they redirected the $716 billion from Medicare to Obamacare, wouldn’t you think that they would have announced such an excellent activity as an example of the efficiency of their investigation? Does it seem reasonable or believable that Obama and the Democrats would not advertise such a cost saving efficiency and that they would miss an opportunity to pat themselves on the back and toot their horn? They have been silent on this great find for over two years and they have only introduced it after they were challenged by the Republicans. Hmmmmnnnnnnnn?????????

Second……Does it seem believable to you that our Federal Government is capable of looking for and uncovering $716 billion worth of efficiencies? After all, this is the same Federal Government that is in charge of a bankrupt Social security System, a bankrupt Medicaid System, a bankrupt Amtrak System, a bankrupt Postal Service and a $16 trillion deficit/ bankrupt nation! History shows that our Federal Government does not utilize quality business practices, real time performance metrics or logical budget concepts. So, why should we believe that they suddenly uncovered $716 billion in efficiencies?

Third…….Let’s understand what Obama and the Democrats said. They said…not my words, their words…….that they took the $716 billion from the providers. Well, please follow the bouncing ball. When the Federal Government cuts Medicare payments to the Insurance Companies and the doctors/hospitals, what do you think will be the outcome? Obviously, the Insurance Companies will reduce coverage and increase the out of pocket costs to the senior citizen and obviously the doctors will reduce services and probably refuse to take on any new Medicare patients because they keep losing money on such patients. (Note: there’s already a “Doc Fix” bill that gets passed EVERY year. It overrides and stalls off reductions of payments to docs because the Feds realize that such reduction will result in catastrophic repercussions from the doctors in terms of service cut backs and patient treatment and care.) So, any reduction of Federal Funds to providers will definitely have a negative impact on the users/seniors.

2)    Let’s look at the bigger picture. Medicare is one of those entitlements that has historically been referred to as “The Third Rail of Politics”. That’s because, no politician ever wants to discuss any cutbacks on this entitlement, even though it is going bankrupt and even though the federal Government cannot afford to continue to pay for this entitlement that it has promised the American seniors. The reason for such reluctance to reform this entitlement is obvious. Any politician who attempts to fix this is immediately demogogued by the opposition and the Senior vote is jeopardized.

Well, this axiom held true throughout Obama’s entire first term. He refused to address the financial problems in Medicare and in fact, as explained above, he exacerbated the Medicare funding problem by introducing Obamacare. In essence, Obama threw the seniors under the bus to get Obamacare passed.

In fact, Obama and the Democrats have mentioned, from time to time, that Medicare will be bankrupt in 12 years. They’ve mentioned it but any time there was any Republican plan to address and reform it, Obama and the Dem’s demogogued such plans and its supporters.

Now, let’s dig into this a little deeper and consider the political strategy. Obama and the Democrats have to believe that Obama will win a second term. They must believe that because no politician ever allows himself to think he might lose. So, if Obama remains president (God forbid) for another 4 years he will leave office in 2016. If Obama’s second term is as bad as his first, our nation will be in deeper debt and deficits and our unemployment problem will be worse. Is that an unfair assumption? All I can base this assumption on is the record of the last four years. So, continuing with this thought process, a Republican president will win in 2016 and then the Republicans will inherit the failing Medicare System, with only eight years of solvency left. That means that the Democrats can just sit in Congress from 2016 to 2020 and just complain about the failing Medicare System and the Republicans own the Third Rail of Politics, by default. Clever politics, isn’t it? But it stinks as far as governance for the people, by the people.

Considering all the above, Romney’s choice of Paul Ryan was a bold choice because it forced the Medicare argument to the forefront, in spite of the Third Rail demagogue issue. Romney made the Ryan choice knowing full well that it meant that the Democrats would attack Ryan’s Medicare reform plan….which he wrote in great detail, back in 2009.

Therefore, who do you credit with the bold move? Who is challenging the Third Rail because it needs to be reformed? Who is taking on the problems of the day? Which candidates are stepping up to deal with the economy and issues of substance?
Conversely, who is playing politics? Who is avoiding the hard decisions? Who is threatening the economic health of our country? Which party is campaigning on distraction and deceit?

Folks, the information presented above is not partisan pap. I am not making up stuff. All of the above is facts and logic. Of course, you might see it all differently. That’s what free speech and free thinking is all about. All I ask is that you consider this information with and open mind, considering motive, risk, substance, and honesty. Put aside ideology. Think it through and then do your own research. Then….do the right thing in November.

Throw the Buma Out!

carlo