In place of those cuts, the president offered a mixture of real steps to reduce the deficit ”” including nearly $2 trillion in additional taxes over the coming decade, mainly at the expense of high-income Americans ”” and bogus ones, such as almost $850 billion in “savings” from the previously planned end of foreign combat operations, a chunk of which would be spent on infrastructure and jobs programs. The one bright spot: Obama didn’t ignore the rapid and unsustainable growth in healthcare entitlements, as he did in last year’s budget. Instead, he called for saving about $360 billion over 10 years on those programs, in part by paying drug companies less for medicines prescribed to low-income Medicare patients.
There’s little chance this Congress will agree to many, or even any, of those suggestions. Tax increases seem particularly unlikely. But even if lawmakers were to adopt all of Obama’s deficit-cutting measures, they wouldn’t go far enough to set the budget on a path toward balance.
[blockquote]in part by paying drug companies less for medicines prescribed to low-income Medicare patients.[/blockquote]
Isn’t that rather self defeating? Drug companies will just jack up the price to regular non-Medicare drug users, which in turn will cause higher rates and higher premiums.
Not if Obama and the Democrats nationalize the drug industry and fix the price of drugs.
If they can compel the insurance companies to cover contraception and abortificants at no charge (a form of nationalization) they can do it to the drug companies.
As we have seen with a number of drugs – the result is that there is a shortage of drugs
Totalitarian government is coming to a town near you. Can you feel it yet? Have you seen what they can do? The state Dept of Ed (which shouldn’t exist) took whole milk out of my public school (in the midst of dairy country) because of a proposed “rule” expected to be “accepted” by the Dept of Ag because it was deemed unhealthy. Of course, condoms and abortions and gay agenda stuffed down our throats is what we are forced to accept. Thank God the scourge of whole milk is gone; no more venereal diseases, no more problem abortions or accidental sterilization, no more 15 year olds engaging in behavior meant for married people who made promises in front of God …. oh, you mean this rule won’t fix that? I thought whole milk was the real problem in schools ….? They are borrowing 40 cents of every dollar spent to ram rules and regs down our throats. God help us.
Neither party has any credibility on the subject of the debt. Both have, and will continue to run up the national credit card all the while praying that the balloon doesn’t finally pop on their watch.
[blockquote]Both have, and will continue to run up the national credit card all the while praying that the balloon doesn’t finally pop on their watch. [/blockquote]
And pop it will. The real problem is that we are leaving this for our children and all who come after us. This is unconsciounable. God help us.
Re # 7
lostdesert
I have good news and bad news. The good news is that our kids are not going to have to deal with this. The bad news is that we are. I think we are just about out of time.