Thursday, March 31, 2011

Keep Your Government Hands Off My Seniorcare

The right wing spent a lot of time and money last year convincing seniors (erroneously) that the recently-passed health care reform legislation would undermine their Medicare benefits.  Political operatives know that the elderly are more likely to vote than younger people, and they are very concerned about any potential cuts to entitlement programs (because they rely very heavily upon them to maintain their standard of living).

So it was very foolish (but deliciously ironic) of Scott Walker to include cuts to Wisconsin's popular Seniorcare program in his budget. This particular issue is driving a wedge in his control of the State Senate.  He might have been able to keep Darling and Hopper in line, if they weren't facing recall campaigns thanks to the shenanigans of the Fitzwalkerstan administration.

It seems that the Governor has been hoist by the Teapublicans' petard.

3 comments:

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

If you are OK with the largest wealth transfer from have nots to haves, I guess that's you business.

Seniors have the greatest net worth of any age demographic, while the young, well, you are happy to screw them. My grandchildren will thank you, I'm sure.

http://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/review/97/07/9707jw.pdf

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

And let me make sure I understand this: It's ok for teachers and public sector unions to (metaphorically) gang-rape senior citizens as taxpayers, but you want to make sure seniors they have their government healthcare?

You must support public-sector union thuggery, too? "With us or against us"? "Display union support or we'll ruin you".

Thought so. Nice.

Ordinary Jill said...

Deekaman, you have completely missed the meaning of my post. I am making no comment on the relative merits of Seniorcare versus other programs that may be cut, so your comments are completely irrelevant to the post. I am speaking of political gamesmanship. The right wing made false claims that the federal health care reform bill would undermine Medicare, in order to gin up opposition to health care reform and boost the candidacies of Tea Party politicians. Knowing how effective this was, Scott Walker still tried to cut Seniorcare and expected Republican legislators to support those cuts. Epic fail.