” entitlements

Social Security, Health Care, and Partisan Hackery

by Ryan Young on February 8, 2010

in Healthcare, Politics as Usual, Zeitgeist

Megan McArdle points out a delicious piece of partisan hackery.

Back in 2005, President Bush proposed privatizing Social Security. This was one of his few good ideas. But because of poor salesmanship, it was less than popular. Nothing came of it. Rather than press on, The New York Times urged him to cave in, in accordance with the peoples’ wishes.

This year’s health care bill is similarly unpopular. Now The New York Times is urging President Obama to press on, against the peoples’ wishes.

Go read her whole post. It’s great.

Entitlement creep exemplified (or why we’re going broke)

by Michael Fumento on December 29, 2009

in Healthcare

  • 1965, Medicare health insurance authorized for all Americans over age 65 along with Medicaid that covers both seniors and the poor. Somehow for 190 years Americans were able to make do without it.
  • 2006, Largest expansion of Medicare since origin in also covering prescription drugs but only to and beyond a certain point, leaving what’s referred to as a “doughnut hole.”
  • 2009, With the nation running a historic deficit that’s skyrocketing and having just passed a budget-busting health care bill in the Senate, Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid declares of the “doughnut hole” we must “forever end this indefensible injustice for American’s seniors.”