This page was last updated on April 2, 2010.
GOP doesn’t want to help middle class; Jeldo Montini; Beaver County Times; April 2, 2010.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“It seems a lot of the news lately is about people and groups protesting the new health care plan.
“Some Republicans are saying it costs too much, but these are the same ones who favored President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. The cost in lives and money for that is still being added up.”
[RWC] What does supporting (or not) military action against a perceived national security threat have to do with not supporting a government-run, taxpayer-funded healthcare monopoly?
As for “The cost in lives and money for that is still being added up,” Mr. Montini appears to forget President Obama is following exactly the Bush administration plan for Iraq.
“I do not know the details of the health care plan, but I believe it will save a lot of suffering.”
[RWC] After more than a year of debate and the intense coverage of the past several months, Mr. Montini does “not know the details of the health care plan?” If Mr. Montini doesn’t know what’s in Obamacare, how can he credibly “believe it will save a lot of suffering?”
Please read my paper entitled “Healthcare.”
“Think about it. Republicans were also against Social Security and Medicare. Not long ago, they wanted to privatize Social Security.”
[RWC] Everyone should be against Medicare and Socialist Security. In addition to the other taxes we pay, why should anyone want the government to confiscate another 15.3% of our paychecks right off the top for 40+ years and still not provide enough to live off of in retirement? According to the Medicare Trustees in their report to Congress in 2009, Medicare is now in deficit (outlays exceed Medicare tax revenue) and will be bankrupt in 2017. Regarding Socialist Security, SS was to go into deficit in 2016, the Disability Insurance portion of SS will be bankrupt in 2020, and the overall SS “trust fund” (the equivalent of a stack of federal government “IOUs” for revenue already spent by the feds for other programs) will be exhausted by 2037. Because of the current recession, SS is already in deficit, a full six years ahead of last year’s projection.
Does Mr. Montini know Obamacare takes $500 billion out of Medicare over 10 years? Oh, that’s right, Mr. Montini does “not know the details of the health care plan?” Democrats took out that $500 billion, not Republicans. Though I did not and do not support it, who added the prescription drug benefit to Medicare? Republicans.
Unfortunately, Republicans did not propose “to privatize Social Security” as Mr. Montini claims. First, the 2005 proposal merely proposed taxpayers have the option to invest a very small portion (4%) of their SS taxes in personal accounts, but still under the oversight and rules of the SS Administration.
Second, Democrats themselves proposed and supported personal accounts in the late 1990s. Remember the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), Sen. Hillary Clinton’s immediate predecessor? This was also a recommendation of the bipartisan President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security in 2001.
“I believe they are against anything that helps the middle class.”
[RWC] Where in the U.S. and Pennsylvania constitutions does it say a responsibility of government is to help any class, be it lower, middle, or upper? In any case, Mr. Montini is mistaken if he believes Obamacare will “help the middle class.” You see, the vast majority of us in the middle class have healthcare insurance or can otherwise take care of our healthcare expenses. Since the vast majority of alleged beneficiaries will be in the lower class, that means the middle and upper classes must foot the bill.
What would “help the middle class,” as well as the lower and upper classes? The best combination of healthcare accessibility, choice, quality, timeliness of treatment, et cetera at the best price with maximum individual liberty. Obamacare doesn’t have these as true goals and can’t and won’t deliver them.
Here’s the bottom line. The left and right approach “helping” people differently. The left believes “help” must come from government by confiscating from some individuals and giving it those in favored groups. There’s nothing altruistic or charitable in “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” The right believes we help everyone when we maximize effective individual liberty. That means letting people keep what they earn and letting them decide how to distribute the fruits of their labor. The more a person gets to keep of his paycheck, the more he has to help others voluntarily.
© 2004-2010 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.