Dushan Yanich – 12/30/05

This page was last updated on December 30, 2005.

Give a little; take some back; Dushan Yanich; Beaver County Times; December 30, 2005.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Veterans, beware. Your medication costs are going up effective Jan. 1.

“I called the veterans’ office at the Beaver County Courthouse and was informed that the cost would increase by 14.3 percent.”

[RWC] See my critique of a related Yanich letter on this general topic.

“If you collect Social Security benefits, you received an increase of 4.1 percent. The politicians increased the cost of Medicare, which is taken out of your Social Security, by 13.2 percent.”

[RWC] Given my experience with “facts” presented by Mr. Yanich, I suggest you verify his data if it really matters to you.

“Politicians” didn’t increase the Medicare Part B premium, the cost of providing medical services did. Medicare funding comes from Medicare payroll taxes (2.9% with no upper limit) and deductibles/premiums paid by Medicare beneficiaries. If the people receiving the Medicare benefits shouldn’t pay, who should?

I don’t know what Mr. Yanich means by “the cost of Medicare … is taken out of your Social Security.” Medicare has its own tax and – to the best of my knowledge – is not funded at all by Socialist Security taxes.

“Our lawmakers in Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart and U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum - have let us down. Apparently, they are more concerned about tax reductions that would benefit the rich and not the middle class and those less fortunate.”

[RWC] The taxes that fund Medicare and Socialist Security were not cut and Mr. Yanich knows it. In fact, because of inflation, these taxes rise every year even when there’s no increase in the tax rate.

“It seems their motto is ‘Let’s give them a little and take some of it back.’”

[RWC] Earth to Mr. Yanich, politicians can’t give what isn’t theirs. Anything a politician “gives” you originally came out of your pocket, less a “handling charge” of course. When will folks like Mr. Yanich realize there are no “free lunches?”

“Remember that there are elections coming up in 2006. Don’t forget to vote.”