The Republicans have been up to their usual dirty tricks today. They have scheduled a voting session
at this unGodly hour of 4:00 AM, Saturday morning, to try to sneak thru Congress a Medicare bill,
that will ultimately destroy Medicare, under the guise of providing prescription drug coverage.
What this bill intends to do is partially privatize Medicare, and then these private HMO's will
selectively accept only the healthy seniors, leaving the government run Medicare program saddled
with poor and unhealthy seniors. So poor seniors will pay more, because sicker and more elderly
seniors will be the only ones left in Medicare. Eventually, the Republicans will argue that the
comparisons prove that all of Medicare should be privatized. This is what the Republicans who never
supported Medicare to begin with want to do with it now, destroy and eliminate it.
There's also a provision in this Republican sponsored bill that bans Medicare from negotiating
prices with the drug companies. This is a major boon for the drug and pharmaceutical companies, who
are the single biggest contributors to the Republican party, next to the oil companies. Canada's
drug prices are so much lower than ours is, is because the Canadian government's massive buying
power entices drug companies to give Canada cheaper drugs, because of the sheer volume of the
business involved. This Republican sponsored bill prohibits Medicare from negotiating for lower
drug prices.
What is especially shameful is AARP's endorsement of this bill. Until now, it was thought that AARP
represented senior citizens. But as it turns out, the only people that the AARP represent is
themselves. The AARP apparently sell insurance and drugs, so they stand to make many hundreds of
millions of dollars by selling private insurance to their stupid members.
I've been following the very interesting debate on C-Span all night, and even as I type this now,
the latest news is that this bill has been defeated by a very close 218 votes vs. 216 votes. And it
was defeated pretty much along party lines, all but 12 Democrats voted against it, and all but 26
Republicans voted for it, but the Republicans are still trying to twist arms to get Congress members
to change their votes in favor of this abomination.
If this Medicare bill is defeated, it would be good news, along with the defeat of Bush's energy
bill. The only thing that would be left to do would be to vote against all those Republican
Bloodsuckers in the 2004 presidential election.
If you belong to AARP, you are paying them money in the form of a membership fee, and they use that
money in a concerted political effort to screw you over along with all your fellow Americans. How do
you like THEM apples? You pay them to screw you over. This is what the AARP has degenerated into.
The AARP used to represent senior citizens, until the fascist cancer of Republicanism infected them,
now they are out to suck the life blood out of our country. And if there are any members of AARP out
there today, you really should cancel your membership after seeing what they have tried to do to
you. Here's the number to call, 1(800)424-3410, and cancel your membership immediately. You can also
ask for a refund, prorated based on how long you've been a member.
The present President of AARP is William Novelli, he wrote the preface to a recent book by Newt
Gingrich, a man who vehemently opposes Medicare, and William Novelli is also the guy who ran the
public relations firm that flooded the air waves with those "Harry and Louis ads" in 1993, those
outrageously malicious ads completely mis-represented and effectively squashed Clinton's plan to
institute a National Health plan back then, those ads accused Hillary Clinton of wanting to push
Americans into an unreliable government run HMO, but now it is William Novelli who is doing what
he's accused Hillary of doing. How's THAT for a typical example of the bloodsucking corruption that
typifies the Republican party, and their sick addiction to lying, cheating, greed and hypocricy?
Abel Malcolm
For more information, go to these links:
newsday.comny vpcoc203551266nov20,0,2022671,print.columnOpen ↗
columnists
&
"In the end, through the long ages of our quest for light, it will be found that truth is still
mightier than the sword":
Gen. Douglas MacArthur (Graduated from West Point at the top of his class, then served brilliantly
in WW1, WW2 & the Korean war)
Educate yourself and go to these links:
buzzflash.combuzzflash.comOpen ↗ & moveon.orgmoveon.orgOpen ↗ & veteransforpeace.orgveteransforpeace.orgOpen ↗ &
salon.comsalon.comOpen ↗ & huppi.comLiberalFAQ.htmOpen ↗ & barbrastreisand.combarbrastreisand.comOpen ↗