The Day After
No, Im not talking about the presidents sell out speech. I’m talking about the day after the expiration of the deadline to enroll in the new Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. At last, an end to those stupid cutesy commercials featuring grannies trading help for signing up for the program with each other over apple pie recipes.
Lets do the math:
Population of the United States: around 300 million
Cost of Granny’s new Medicare benefit: around $600 billion over 10 years.
Dividing out we get $2000 cost to every man woman and child over a ten year period.
So that’s what it is costing you. Every year everyone will pony up $200 so granny can get a discount on her pills.
Now of course the calculation isn’t really that simple but it does give one a scale of what’s involved. Not everyone pays taxes so the average bill per taxpayer will be quite a bit higher. And, as we all know, most of this cost will be put off through deficit spending. That means future generations, or our kids, will pay for it.
So what’s so bad about all this? Well, my problem with it is quite simple: its immoral. I think it is fundamentally wrong to tax those who have the least to bestow benefits on those who have the most. The over 65 year old age bracket is by far the wealthiest of any age group. Why the hell should those in less wealthy age groups pay to provide benefits for them? Why is Medicare not means tested? Why should someone who is working at a job with no health insurance, paying for it on their own, have to provide health benefits for some rich duffer playing golf? Don’t believe me on who’s got the money? Here are the links:
Who’s got the money, from page 20, courtesy of the Federal Reserve. Click Here.
By the way, look at the scale on the left. That’s a logarithmic scale, not a linear one. See how someone who is 40 has a net worth of around $50k but someone who is 60 has a net worth of $250k? The graph is striking as it is, without the logarithmic scale the disparity would be far more apparent.
How much Granny’s pills are going to cost you. Courtesy of the CBO. Click Here
“CBO currently estimates that net Medicare spending for the Part D program will total $593 billion over the 2004-2013 period.”
No, Im not talking about the presidents sell out speech. I’m talking about the day after the expiration of the deadline to enroll in the new Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. At last, an end to those stupid cutesy commercials featuring grannies trading help for signing up for the program with each other over apple pie recipes.
Lets do the math:
Population of the United States: around 300 million
Cost of Granny’s new Medicare benefit: around $600 billion over 10 years.
Dividing out we get $2000 cost to every man woman and child over a ten year period.
So that’s what it is costing you. Every year everyone will pony up $200 so granny can get a discount on her pills.
Now of course the calculation isn’t really that simple but it does give one a scale of what’s involved. Not everyone pays taxes so the average bill per taxpayer will be quite a bit higher. And, as we all know, most of this cost will be put off through deficit spending. That means future generations, or our kids, will pay for it.
So what’s so bad about all this? Well, my problem with it is quite simple: its immoral. I think it is fundamentally wrong to tax those who have the least to bestow benefits on those who have the most. The over 65 year old age bracket is by far the wealthiest of any age group. Why the hell should those in less wealthy age groups pay to provide benefits for them? Why is Medicare not means tested? Why should someone who is working at a job with no health insurance, paying for it on their own, have to provide health benefits for some rich duffer playing golf? Don’t believe me on who’s got the money? Here are the links:
Who’s got the money, from page 20, courtesy of the Federal Reserve. Click Here.
By the way, look at the scale on the left. That’s a logarithmic scale, not a linear one. See how someone who is 40 has a net worth of around $50k but someone who is 60 has a net worth of $250k? The graph is striking as it is, without the logarithmic scale the disparity would be far more apparent.
How much Granny’s pills are going to cost you. Courtesy of the CBO. Click Here
“CBO currently estimates that net Medicare spending for the Part D program will total $593 billion over the 2004-2013 period.”
posted by R Huse at 12:55 PM
9 Comments:
Well, if nothing else I did love the organizing of bus trips to Canada to buy pills. Nothing better than the greedy geezers leaching off taxpayers there rather than here.
Sigh – And this is why one should never try to discuss anything with someone who doesn’t know simple words like stanza and paragraph. OK, here we go:
>So you're saying, that you being a beacon of complience to the word of law (i.e. illegal immigration)
Ok, first of all its spelled compliance (sorry, had to take that opportunity since you do seem to go on about your great spelling and grammar). Second, Im not entirely sure these bus trips were illegal? If so, what immigration law was being broken? I’ve bought prescriptions drugs in other countries and declared them upon my return. Never had a problem, so long as the drug was legal here. Anyway, get back to on that one.
>that you'd LOVE to organize trips to smuggle drugs across the border.
Geeee, where exactly did I claim that Id love to organize them? Once again Mike here are the steps: Read the post, first. I was merely making the comment because frankly I liked these people leeching off someone else other than me.
Oh well, nice try, keep cracking me up kid
Ok – One last time. Read the post before responding. I will repeat:
Here is where your argument falls apart: Driving to Canada to buy prescribed drugs, as far as I know and as far as was ever reported is not a crime. I have bought prescription drugs in other countries declared them and brought them in, never had a problem. Not a crime, got it?
Entering this country illegally is a crime. Working here illegally is a crime. Got it?
Get it? One is a crime, one isn’t. Simple. If you cant get it at this point I give up.
As far as your racism comment, grow up.
By the way - america? Try an "A" next time.
Hope you learned something, get back if you have anything more for me kid.
Love it when you kids pull the "Oooops, who me? Not my fault you took it that way thing" Please, don't be an ass, your meaning was quite clear.
Let's consider your point conceded since you are unable to support it by pointing out what crime I am advocating.
Your shooting blanks at this point kid, Im calling it good. See ya!
Nice try. My point has been made quite clearly and repeatedly.
You simply are unable to point out how carrying prescribed pills over the border is a crime. I don't know if you have ever crossed an international border but carrying prescribed pills isn't a crime so long as the medication is legal. You are just flat out wrong in insisting that unless they are checked they are contraband. Who in the world ever told you that? Have you ever taken an international trip?
You also have failed to point out what crime the seniors were committing at that time by going to Canada and getting their prescriptions filled. All the foot stamping on your part cant change that.
Sorry, you're done Mike.
As for wasting my Sunday night debating some kid, hey, who cares. I just got done with a 23 hour flight, I got all the time in the world. You do make me laugh if nothing else.
>If you don't use the proper documentation it is illegal, which you still fail to make mention of in your comments.
Whoopsie - I sure did mention documentation. That's what the term prescribed drugs means. Pretty much like licensed driver means one has a license. Prescribed drug means one has a prescription. Get it? Good.
Again - READ before responding.
There really isn't any point in arguing this further. You are arguing the inane. All you seem to be able to do at this point is come up with dull insults and weak rebuttal. If you come up with anything a little more thought out fine, but at this point the jet lag has worn off and you aren't providing me as many laughs as before. Cheers!
Sorry - Obtuseness is not refutation and I refuse to debate those who can't win an argument and so resort to it.
It was abundantly clear both from the original blog topic and subsequent replies to you that I was talking about legally prescribed drugs. The words prescribed (which means one has a prescription) and legal were used frequently. Re-read.
Sorry, it was pretty clear. If you missed the rampant news coverage I referred to of geezers going to get their prescriptions filled in Canada a year or two ago then that is your mistake.
If I missed the wide reporting of greedy geezers getting arrested for illegal drug smuggling on bus trips across the Canadian border, then the mistake was mine.
Your false confusion is a poor and unconvincing form of debate. I'll tell you what, point me to a single major news story of a bus load of seniors getting arrested for illegal drug smuggling from Canada and I will wholly and unconditionally admit that you had reason to be confused and the fault was mine for not being clear. I will admit that I was completely and totally wrong and you had every reason to be confused by my replies. I will admit that it was perfectly reasonable for you to think I was encouraging, and excusing illegal drug smuggling by seniors. I will admit that my repeated use of the word prescription, and prescribed was not enough. That the use of the term legal medication was really hard to understand. That the rampant illegal drug smuggling by seniors could, in fact, lead one to believe I condoned illegal senior citizen drug smuggling rings. Do that and you will have my complete and unconditional agreement that you were right and I was wrong.
If you cant do that, then lets just be done with your childish obtuseness. Its silly, you know it as well as I. Put up or shut up time Mike.
Now - Go and look hard for that news story Mike. Failing that, then obfuscate further by insult and childish retort. Which will it be I wonder?
Woops, Mr. Saturday Night Special is over on the Skynard album. You know, the double live gonzo version with all the skulls on it. Damn that thing rocks, and shit, you sure don't. Buh bye for now. Its nighty night time for me, I'm old and it take a while to get the dentures out.
Oh well Mike, looks like you are taking the obfuscation route. I didnt think you could back up your talk even when offered a complete apology. Better luck next time. Cheers!
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