Let's have an honest conversation

Take the emotion out for a minute and consider the public policy.

Medicare was created in 1966 at a cost of $3 Billion per year. The House Ways & Means Committee estimated in 1966 that the 1990 cost would be $12 Billion. Instead, it was $107 Billion in 1990 and today it costs more than $408 Billion per year.

These are facts.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the health care law that was just signed into law a few months ago will cost $940 Billion over the next 10 years. Actually, just today, the CBO came out with a new estimate that is $100 Billion higher. But, if history is a guide, this is low. Way, way low. And, like it or not, the dollars must come from someplace. Sadly, we can't even pay for what we are spending now (to the tune of $1.5 TRILLION a year), let alone add more spending on top. Which is exactly what this Congress and this President just did.

Another fact . . .

If the US Government cut out 100% of its spending, including defense, but kept paying Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid . . . the US would still have a deficit.

More (unpleasant) facts . . .

Tim Cahill, Massachusetts State Treasurer said, of MassCare . . . "If not for . . . commitments from Washington to prop up this plan, Massachusetts would be broke. The only reason MassCare has survived is that we have been repeatedly bailed out by the federal government."

This is the model for the US health care law that we now live under. There is not enough income in this country to tax to pay for all this spending. The top 10% of earners in this country ALREADY pay 73% of the income taxes collected by the IRS. So what is the right number? 85%? 95%? 100%? At what point do people stop creating new businesses and working longer hours to earn more money for the federal government to confiscate?

This issue is real. We are spending our way into oblivion in this country. Even after the massive tax increases which we will shortly experience, our federal government will still have huge current deficits on top of massive unfunded future liabilities. We simply don’t have enough money to pay for all the wonderful things our elected officials think up.

And, they are wonderful and worthy ideas. In a perfect world (which we sadly do not inhabit), we would have enough to pay for it all. But, unfortunately, we live in the real world, and not the imaginary one, and we need to find ways to pay for the programs we pass.

My advice, if you care about this issue, is to vote GOP this Fall. If you can’t bring yourself to do that (because you are too partisan), then vote against the incumbent. We need to send new people to Washington. Those people who have been there for 25, 30 and 40 years need to clear out. Let’s get some fresh blood in there and see if they can do a better job.

Woldy