Now that it is Wednesday, I would like to take a quick look at some of the hot issues of this week and even some of the issues that fly under the radar. I hope you like them. Let me know what you like and what you don’t like.
The first news item that caught my eye concerns my Teapublican Congressman, Rep. Joe Walsh. It seems that Rep. Walsh thinks that Medicare should be reduced to an insurer of last resort! “Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) — a strong proponent of Paul Ryan’s Medicare privatization scheme — told students at Mundelein High School on Tuesday that he would support transforming Medicare into a “safety net” program of last resort for seniors with no other coverage options: But he spent the most time talking about the need to cut spending on federal health programs, including Medicare. Medicare should be used only as a “safety net” for those who cannot get health care anywhere else, he said. “We have got to begin to pay for and be more responsible for our own health care costs,” he said. Those who are affluent should pay more for medical care, he said. He cited as an example his parents, who live in a “fancy retirement home in Barrington.” Teacher Thomas Kuhn asked Walsh what type of reaction he was hearing from senior citizens regarding cuts. “Maybe I’m wrong and I won’t be in Congress two years from now … but most people say: ‘I’m in. I know we have got a big problem,’” Walsh said. But he noted people 55 and older would not be impacted if the reforms he supports become law.” http://thinkprogress.org/health/2011/09/07/313480/rep-joe-walsh-calls-for-shrinking-medicare-down-to-an-insurer-of-last-resort/ Why does anyone actually listen to this incessant liar? This is the same guy who is being sued for over $100,000 of past due child support!
The Think Progress article goes on to explain that Mr. Walsh must not realize that wealthier Seniors do pay more into the Medicare system. Is Rep. Walsh uninformed or just plain stupid? My money is on the second choice.
The second and final Short for today involves Teapublican Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney and his so-called plan to revive the economy. Is anyone surprised that Romney’s plan is mostly tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations? “According to our new analysis, the economic plan offered yesterday by GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney would deliver a massive $6.6 trillion tax cut that would primarily benefit the very wealthy and corporations. After accounting for the added interest costs that we’ll have to pay, the total cost of Romney’s plan grows to $7.8 trillion over the next 10 years. Romney lays out several tax policies, all of which primarily benefit the super wealthy. – Extend all the Bush tax cuts: While everyone got a tax cut from President Bush, the extremely wealthy got the lion’s share of the benefit. In 2010, fully half of the entire benefit from all of the Bush tax cuts flowed to the richest 5 percent of Americans. Extending them all (plus indexing the Alternative Minimum Tax to inflation) will cost nearly $4 trillion, not including interest costs.– Eliminate capital gains taxes for middle income households: Capital gains tax rates are already extraordinarily low, but middle class Americans don’t enjoy much benefit from that. According to the Tax Policy Center, 67 percent of the entire benefit from lower capital gains tax rates goes to millionaires. Romney’s proposal won’t cost much because it won’t benefit many people.– Cut corporate taxes: Romney’s proposal to cut the corporate rate by about a third would cost more than $900 billion. Needless to say, this cut would benefit mainly the very rich and corporations.– Eliminate estate taxes: Right now, only the very biggest, richest fraction of a percent of all estates pay any tax at all. Eliminating even this paltry amount would cost about $175 billion, and would, of course, only benefit a few extremely wealthy heirs and heiresses.” http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/09/07/313068/romneys-tax-plan-cost-6-6-trillion/
I was shocked that a Teapublican would think that more tax cuts and breaks for the wealthy and for corporations would bring the economy out of slump and get people working again! After ten years of tax cuts and breaks for corporations and the wealthy that have made the rich richer and make corporations a bundle of cash, they are still not creating jobs. I wonder if the Teapublicans secret plan is to not grow jobs at all and to destroy the middle class? If that is there plan, they are succeeding! Did anyone check Romney’s plan to see how much debt his plan adds to the deficit? “In fact, Romney’s plan would yield approximately $6.5 trillion in deficits from 2013 through 2021.” Gov. Romney, have you even looked at your own plan?
Those are my Wednesday’s Shorts. Take a look at them and at the sites where I found the stories and let us know what you think! We’ll be waiting for you! Let’s hear from you! Don’t be shy, take a stand! There is too much at stake for you to hold back what you feel. I will be out of town this weekend so we may miss the Friday Free For All, but we hope to be back in time for our weekly Monday Musings!
