Obama pushes budget-cutting plan in California tour

[Hannah Bell]

President Barack Obama completed his West Coast trip Thursday with a series of fundraisers in the Los Angeles area that reportedly netted his reelection campaign at least $4 million. In public forums in Northern California and Reno, Nevada, Obama touted his proposals to cut trillions of dollars in government spending over the next decade.

Obama promoted right-wing policies already implemented, including his health care “reform” that slashes government and corporate costs, his “Race to the Top” education program that promotes charter schools and attacks public school teachers, and his bailout of the auto industry, the spearhead for a nationwide attack on workers’ wages.

The president sought to posture as a defender of Medicare against Republican proposals to dismantle the program. He did so despite the fact that his own proposal includes $1 trillion in further cuts to health care programs. He also touted his pledge to end tax cuts for the wealthy that he himself extended for two years in December.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/apr2011/obam-a23.shtml

[Rabblevox]

1. How can I vote for this man again? That's not a rhetorical question...

Seriously, how? He is without a doubt the worst,most evil, most dishonest Dem. in the White house since Wilson. (and yeah, I know how dishonest and evil Johnson and Clinton were). And if you disagree, bring it!

I'd sooner cut off my fingers than vote for whichever of the seven dwarves the repukes nominate.

But I'm sick of this "lesser of two evils" bullshit. Obama is either actively evil, or a complete fucking pawn. There are no other choices.

Fuck it. I'm writing in Al Franken for president.

[BzaDem]

4. Being "sick" of reality doesn't make reality any less real.

We have a lesser of two evils system whether you like it or not -- your fatigue of the system is irrelevant. You can certainly enable the greater of two evils (as a write-in would do). But there is little meaningful electoral difference between Republican enablers claiming to be on the right and Republican enablers claiming to be on the left.

[lib2DaBone]

2. The president sought to posture as a defender of Medicare against Republican proposals to dismantle

I think that line about says it all. All he does is "posture" (to give the illusion that 'something' is being done).

Then he turns around and does what the Repukes tell him to do.

Fool me once....

[BzaDem]

3. Let me get this straight -- you are complaining about Obama's proposals to cut healthcare costs,

while simultaneously supporting single payer (which would by definition result in this type of cost cutting)?

What a joke.

[Hannah Bell]

5. single payer would eliminate insurance companies. i don't see where that's on the table here.

so joke's on you.

[BzaDem]

6. Once again, you are against cuts that would be made (and are made) in any single payer program.

Because Obama is doing them, and you dislike Obama.

This has nothing to do with insurance companies. Medicare is a single payer program for seniors, and the cuts Obama proposes are similar to cuts that are made in any single payer program. You criticize policy that you would otherwise actually favor solely because you want to bash Obama, hoping people won't notice.

[Hannah Bell]

7. once again, you evade the point. the reason for single payer is to cut out the insurance

companies.

nothing obama is cutting has anything to do with that kind of savings.

[BzaDem]

8. Regardless of the "reason for single payer," Obama is making the exact same types of cuts that are

made in EVERY single payer system.

Yet you oppose them -- because Obama is the one that proposed them.

[Hannah Bell]

9. he's cutting out the insurance companies?

because aside from that, there are no cuts unique to single payer systems.

[BzaDem]

10. Aside from Medicare advantage (which was already significantly cut), there are no insurance

companies in Medicare to cut. Medicare (non-advantage) is a single payer program for seniors.

Single payer systems use medical experts to determine which procedures are effective and which procedures aren't (and therefore, which procedures to pay for and at what reimbursement rate to doctors) ALL the time. No single payer system could work without such analysis. That is exactly what Obama is proposing.

[Hannah Bell]

11. Medicare D also involves private insurers, & it is significantly contributing to cost increases.

Unlike traditional Medicare, which is administered by the federal government, the new Medicare Part D prescription drug program depends on private insurers to provide drug coverage. This reliance on private insurers has sparked a debate about the consequences of privatizing the delivery of Medicare services. A staff report released by Rep. Henry A. Waxman and other members in October 2007 compared the administrative expenses incurred by the private Part D insurers with the administrative expenses incurred under traditional Medicare. That report found that the administrative expenses and profits of the private insurers accounted for nearly 10% of the costs of Medicare Part D, nearly six times as much as the administrative expenses of traditional Medicare.

http://www.cmhda.org/breaking_news/documents/0807_Breaking%20News_Medicare%20Part%20D%20report%20house%20of%20reps%207-08.pdf

There are also the "Medigap" policies.

In fact, only a&b don't involve private insurers, & they're the parts that have been taking cuts.

[BzaDem]

12. So you admit that the cuts are for Medicare A and B, which don't involve private insurers.

Are you really claiming that other single payer systems don't use experts to determine what to pay for and what not to pay for, and at what rate?

[Hannah Bell]

13. what are you babbling about? yes, the socialized portion is being cut, the privatized

portion is growing.

tell me the little story about how single payer systems fund private insurers.

[BzaDem]

14. Just like ALL socialized systems are cut -- in the same way Obama is proposing.

All socialized systems make decisions about what to pay for and what not to pay for based on effectiveness. You are complaining about cuts that occur in all socialized systems.