Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare!

At the risk of bringing down the digital wrath of blog-savvy oldsters, I've noticed that a considerable number of the anti-reform Republican "hooligans," as Rachel Maddow describes them, who turn up at various town hall meetings to shout incomprehensible loud noises just happen to be senior citizens. And while the old people who turn up to protest health care reform are, to some extent, victims of the usual Republican lies and disinformation, they're still adults and therefore responsible for their opinions, their actions and their ziplock baggies filled with crazy.

Yes, they've been tricked by Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh into believing that health care reform will somehow involve golden-grilled ACORN thugs showing up at bingo with a tray of syringes filled with black liberal death juice. Yes, they've been tricked by Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs into thinking that this "halfrican American" president with his terrorist pals and Kenyan birth certificate is trying to supplant God's U.S. government with a liberal fascist homocracy.

But failing to grasp the extraordinary contradiction evident in receiving Medicare benefits while simultaneously shouting nonsense about "government-run health care" is quite simply inexcusable.

President Obama at a town hall meeting last week described a letter he received from a Medicare recipient:

"I got a letter the other day from a woman. She said, 'I don't want government-run health care. I don't want socialized medicine. And don't touch my Medicare.'"

At a town hall meeting held by Rep. Robert Inglis (R-SC):

Someone reportedly told Inglis, "Keep your government hands off my Medicare."
"I had to politely explain that, 'Actually, sir, your health care is being provided by the government,'" Inglis told the Post. "But he wasn't having any of it."

It's no wonder with "very serious" analysts like Arthur Laffer are appearing on CNN and saying things like this (and getting away with it unchallenged):

"If you like the post office and the Department of Motor Vehicles and you think they're run well, just wait till you see Medicare, Medicaid and health care done by the government."

Yeah, just wait until the government gets its mighty robot claws on Medicare and Medicaid -- snatching control away from, you know, the government. (Incidentally, the post office is amazing. As Maher said recently, anyone can drop a letter into a blue metal box on the sidewalk and in a couple of days it arrives at the place listed on the envelope. For 44 cents. Off the top of your head, can you name anything that costs 44 cents and actually functions exactly as advertised?)

I can only hope that the Keep your goddamn government hands off my Medicare! people are exceptions and that a vast majority of Republican seniors understand that Medicare, Medicaid and the Veteran's Administration are all government-run health care systems. Put another way: they're actively and willingly participating in socialized medicine. So the seniors who understand the facts about the Medicare system and yet are screeching at town hall meetings about government-run health care are, well, insert your favorite colorful synonym for "freakishly colossal hypocrites" right about here.

Either these people have been so kerfluffled and enraged by the wingnutty "reparations" and "killing old people" lies they're hearing on AM radio that they've forgotten about the source of their current health insurance coverage, or they're fully aware of the fact that they are, indeed, beneficiaries of socialism, but they refuse to allow anyone else to participate in a similar program. You know, because socialized medicine is bad. Except for them.

Take this guy for instance:

He's one of several elderly protesters shouting in tongues at a town hall held by Rep. Steve Kagan (D-WI) this week. And based on his obvious age and USMC cap, we can deduce that he's very likely receiving medical coverage from the government in the form of Medicare or the Veteran's Administration or both (you can do that). I'd wager, too, that he'd be totally unwilling to give up his coverage. He'd be *cough* crazy to do that.

Or, to paraphrase various wingnut emails I've received, perhaps this old timer ought to get a job instead of freeloading off the system. I mean, why should I pay taxes to finance this guy who refuses to work? Of course the realistic answer is that healthy Americans of any age who aren't spending thousands of dollars a month on gouged health care premiums tend to strengthen both our communities and our broader economy -- including my best interests as well. Rising tides, lifting boats and all that. Another argument I've heard, by the way, is that seniors and veterans have earned their socialist health care. To which I usually respond: I see. So socialized health care is a reward for a job well done? Can I quote you?

I don't claim to know the full stories behind the variety of senior citizens who have been recruited to disrupt these town halls, but one thing is clear. They're participating in a corporate lobbyist-driven campaign to prevent the rest of us from acquiring the same affordable, reliable public health care they enjoy. In other words, their government-run health care is excellent. So excellent that it can't be shared. And they're so intensely motivated in this selfishness that they're volunteering their time to infiltrate town hall meetings and loudly ambush public officials at the request of lobbyists who are very simply lying to and exploiting them.

With all due respect to their chronological age, shame on them.

Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog! Go!

Correction... Medicaid and the VA aren't single-payer.

 

Comments

[Lori Schultz]

Okay, IF we are going to have this discussion . . .let's stick to the facts. Making comments that Medicare running out of money is a lie. . .

Wikipedia:
Total Medicare spending reached $440 billion for fiscal year 2007, or 16% of all federal spending. The only larger categories of federal spending are Social Security and defense.

The Medicare hospital insurance trust fund will become insolvent by 2019.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has indicated that: "Future growth in spending per beneficiary for Medicare and Medicaid—the federal government’s major health care programs—will be the most important determinant of long-term trends in federal spending.

Further, the CBO also projects that "total federal Medicare and Medicaid outlays will rise from 4 percent of GDP in 2007 to 12 percent in 2050 and 19 percent in 2082—which, as a share of the economy, is roughly equivalent to the total amount that the federal government spends today.

Richard W. Fisher, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas: To "cover the unfunded liability" for the Medicare program today over an infinite time horizon, "you would be stuck with an $85.6 trillion bill" which is "more than six times the annual output of the entire U.S. economy",

[cliffardo]

I was at the Sacramento tea party event, and here are photos I took of the affair:

http://www.coffeesee.com/2009/09/02/151/

[230AL]

yes its sad that these elders are so misinformed.mom and i were hotly discussing health care the other day.she said she'd read most of the bill.not possible.she doesn't have access to internet and doesn't have it in print.she meant fox news told her.first problem watching only fox news.she knows the are no death panels,ihold power of attyfor her ,her wishes are in it,but i'll get to my point. these elders are the most privileged generation. good jobs(many lifelong secure )unions,he­althcare,p­ensions. these things are our disappearing dreams.now the elders are pawns of a network of anti :be it ;gays killing marriage,healthcare reform,saving or planet,anyone not like them.they anger easily,so just scare them a little.

[Maezeppa]

Cesca: "But failing to grasp the extraordinary contradiction evident in receiving Medicare benefits while simultaneously shouting nonsense about "government-run health care" is quite simply inexcusable. "

Me: That's NOT what's going on. They have theirs, they don't want you to have yours. They are afraid there isn't enough to go around, so screw you.

[MissKaren]

I'm their chronological age and I don't think they deserve respect. They're being stirred up by people who are eager to use them and it's really shameful.

[JGladway]

When I see these town halls on television, another issue stands out. These people bent on disrupting the meetings and yelling at their senator do not believe anything the senator is going to say. When you hear politician after politician say there are no "death panels", no money for abortions, and no cuts in medicare, the crowd just groans and yells out that they don't believe them. If that's the case, then why are you there? It can't be just to get your voice heard. A letter/email/phone call/meeting with your senator would do that. It's more about the rage at losing the election in November. On tax day in April, there was tea bagging madness across the country. Supposed grass roots rage against the Socialist Obama taxes The only problem was nothing had changed. These people were protesting the Bush tax code. When they were confronted with that information, as seen on youtube videos, it didn't matter. REALITY DOESN'T MATTER!! If you had a video of Barack Obama's birth shot on the beaches of Oahu with hula girls in the back ground and a piece of the placenta stamped with the official date and time, you still could not convince a birther that Obama was born in America. Again, REALITY DOESN'T MATTER!! I've heard them say they want their America back, but you know what? So do I. I want America to take a step back away from the brink of crazytown.

[Topanga2009]

"tricked by Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh into believing that health care reform will somehow involve golden-grilled ACORN thugs showing up at bingo with a tray of syringes filled with black liberal death juice..."

And also ROBOTS! Don't forget the ROBOTS!

http://www.hulu.com/watch/2340/saturday-night-live-old-glory

classic. and very relevant.

[rey281]

Bob C., you are on target! People should start wearing tee shirts with Medicare is run by the US government!

[lakatz]

I'm going to be 61 next month... and I've posted the "keep your government hands off my Medicare" quote on my Twitter page because I think it's funny. I lost followers in the process... which is probably a very good thing.

This is a great article, Mr Cescu, but here's where you went off track. It's not about seniors. It's about anyone who doesn't think about what they're being told and can be easily manipulated. That includes many people younger than myself.

it's about the fear tactics that worked so well for the past eight years because so many people tend to believe what they're told rather than figuring it out for themselves. And the latest fear tactic being used so effectively is that healthcare reform comes with a Soylent Green option, and a "they'll take away your Medicare" threat.

But here's where you got it absolutely right. These poor souls shouting down townhall meetings so childishly in spite of their age are being exploited by dispassionate insurance companies who really don't give a moment's thought to their health and well being.

[drs924]

We Already Have a Broken, Bankrupt National Health Care Program - Do ...
Our national, one-payer health care system called Medicare was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. When Medicare went into effect in 1966, over 19 million people enrolled.

Most of the current controversy stems from the new prescription drug plan (Medicare Part D). Critics say that the plan is costly to the government and confusing to seniors. The plan does not offer any price controls on drugs. The fact that private health insurers administer the various drug plans is another sore spot .

Medicare is available to those that have worked and contributed via their paychecks into the Medicare "system". At retirement age, which typically has been age 65, but will be age 67 for me and increases for each subsequent generation. Currently the premium for Part "B" of Medicare is $96.40 monthly, deducted from your social security checks. The Medicaid program, another government program fraught with fraud, that insures the poor and working poor is broke as well, yet still a lot of people are falling through the "cracks". The government has proven time and again it is not up to the task. There is little doubt that our physicians and medical facilities rival anything the rest of the world has to offer. the poor elderly, and the disabled as well as legal aliens that fall into those categories.. Everyone else needs to "earn" their right to quality health care one way or another.

[Liberty33]

It sucks that health insurance is getting more expensive, but there are a lot mandates and policy changes our government can do to allow private insurance companies a way to provide a larger verity of insurance plans for US citizens and very affordable catastrophic plans. Government options will quickly put private health care out of business, which will increase unemployment by another couple points. Most of our employers who are providing us our healthcare insurance will quickly drop it to save us money and all of us will be dumped into this government option. The costs of this will increase our federal deficit and there is no question the new government bureaucracy will be slow and will result in poor care, it will be an end to research and development of better medicine and in clever ways, coverage and care will be denied more then ever. Who are you going to turn to when Uncle Sam sais they will get back to you when an oncologist is ready after you have been diagnosed with Cancer. And what option will you have when private healthcare is out of business? This 47 million dollar number……..10 million of them are illegal immigrants and another 10 million of them are already eligible for other government programs. Vilifying and putting private healthcare out of business is not the answer to our rising costs.

[starlady7]

Total lies!!!!!!!!!!! To Liberty 33: You are blathering misinformation and lies either from fear or ignorance or both. If you are doing it on purpose then you aredoing this country and your fellow citizens a disservice. And let's question WHY you arefor the filthy rich Insurance Corporations over the average american citizen???

Government WILL NOT put these companies out of business. Government doesnot include illegal immigrants in its numbers. We are 37th in the world in the quality of our health care...all you bozos out there are strutting around thinking we are number one. Well, we aren't. Why, because people like you ...right wing conservatives have for decades put the breaks on doing anything to improve this country or do anything to make the lives of it's citizens better.

Thats why our infrastructure is crumbling and we have not progressed in clean energy, clean environment, healthcare for all citizens!! You think that the government is going to impede your freedom? What freedom? What will you not have or be able todo if our government addresses someof the problems our nation needs solved? Corporate America is in it fortheir own profit only. Are you afraid of some taxes...nothing is free. We have had a NationalDeficit for decades, but doyou really think about it everyday, doyou feel it in yourdaily existence? No! Nor will we in the future. And it doesnot mean that we arenot going tobe fiscally responsible, but for God's sake lets makethis country better for allof us!!!.

[JGladway]

You say that, "government options will quickly put private health care out of business," but then say "there is no question the new gov't bureaucracy will be slow and will result in poor care." How would a government option that offers poor care put a private health care plan out of business that offers better care? You can have it both ways on the issue. Either the gov't will provide a quality system that will put private insurance companies out of business or they will provide poor care and the private insurance industry will still be a part of the system. In our society, when a company doesn't provide good service, we tend not to be consumers of their products. If employers choose to go with the gov't option due to cheaper costs then that is no change from what is going on today. Right now, none of us have any control of the insurance provider our employers sign us up with. Some may have a few options to choose from, but none of us have complete freedom when it comes to our healthcare. We all get the catalogs for our insurance plans and have to select a doctor who takes our insurance. That's the system we are trying to defend? I don't select my doctor as it is. My employer and my insurance company do.

[KarmaTheDog]

You make two interesting statements;
1) "there are a lot mandates and policy changes our government can do to allow private insurance companies a way to provide a larger verity of insurance plans"
Government can allow private insurance companies to provide more insurance plans? What does that mean? Why would an insurance company need the government for that.
2) "Who are you going to turn to when Uncle Sam sais they will get back to you when an oncologist is ready after you have been diagnosed with Cancer." Aside from the ridicul.ousness of your assertion and the fact that Uncle Sam's insurance, Medicare, is beloved by those on it; who do you turn to when you have no insurance or if you have been kicked off your insurance because you have cancer?

[lincheryl]

The people who are screaming at town halls have every right to express their opinions, but they also have an obligation to LISTEN to the other side and learn what misconceptions they have. There is nothing to be gained by shouting distortions and refusing to listen to facts. Discussion is a two-way street.

[PoliticalRockChick]

I don't think these people who come to these Townhall meetings are un-American. I think they are Uninformed­-Americans­. It's hard to have a civilized intelligent conversation with people who Un-informed and who says things like "Keep your Goddamn Government Hands off My Medicare". Until they pick up a newspaper and go to Study hall instead of Townhall and read about what's Medicare, what's socialism, what's universal health care, what's the difference between public and private health care and what are the benefits, maybe travel and meet other foreigners and asked them about there health care, cause majority of them are far ahead of America when it's comes to health care and learn, all the terminologies in regards to health care, then they can sit down at the table with everyone and have an intelligent conversation. Remember knowledge is Power. Learn that conservatives who are uninformed.

[CheesePuff]

PoliticalRockChick, they ARE un-American. Their sole purpose at these town hall meetings is to disrupt the democratic process by yelling, screaming, interrupti­ng...gener­al intimidation tactics. They may be getting bussed to the events and they may be getting paid, but they know what it is they are doing whether they are being duped or not.

However, I also believe they are uneducated.

[Fonfax]

All of us baby boomers who have not inherited a fortune or struck it rich somehow are going to end up in hospital corridors on welfare. The rate of increase of my premiums means I will have to drop coverage in a few years. I think the insurance companies calibrate this intentionally to drive aging consumers out of the private insurance market into the hands of medicare and medicaid.

[prostock69]

Which is why it's time to overhaul health care in America. It's time for the insurance companies to STOP doing this to us. All they care about is making a profit. We the people should be running the government, not the Insurance Companies, Oil Companies and all the other Corporations who line the pockets of the politicians we vote into power. Obama needs us to get behind him on this overhaul. But the idiots who are protesting at these town halls, FAUX News and the lobbyists are doing their darnedest in keeping us from doing so. What is so ironic is the same elderly people are are protesting are the ones who are going to hurt the most if health care is not fixed. Why are some of you so blind to this?

[mvonkroeker]

This only proves, beyond a shadow of doubt, how stupid, misinformed, racist, ignorant and out-and-out ridiculous the Republican party is. It should be abolished to save this country-- and health care reform.

[Nigel Bouvart]

Of course that's all they care about, after all, they are companies operating in a capitalistic system. And that's all well and good, because those businesses succeed that best meet the wants and needs and consumers. If you feel that these companies are no longer doing that, how about depriving them of your capital? If you think that you can't for want of a better alternative company, why don't you try your hand at running your own insurance company? Seeing as you quite obviously have ideas about how the job could be done better.

[4inline]

These people have paid into Medicare for years..they want what's coming to them. Plus, most seniors I know have a supplemental insurance policy as well. Also, Medicaid is slated to run out of money in 2013, and DC wants to reduce it by 500 billion to help pay for Obamacare. That will have to lead to rationing of sorts. These people know this.

[LeftRight]

First, if it is reduced to help pay for single payer, or a public option, that older Americans will ALSO be able to get into...... That's hardly a reasonable complaint. That's like complaining that your boss cut your pay by $50 per month, while at the same time he provided you with 100% of your food expenses for the month!

Second, Medicaid has nothing to do with older Americans, and no one is paying into it. It's a program created to help POOR people pay for medical expenses, unlike MediCARE which is an insurance program which everyone pays into and which was created to help OLD people pay for medical expenses.

Third, the lie that Medicare and Medicaid are going to run out of money....... wow.....

[PattyP]

Wow. I had no idea "these people" paid for their own Medicare all by themselves all those years and just want it back. Thank you for enlightening me. Maybe now you could also explain what that mysterious "Medicare" deduction on my paycheck is for. It's been coming out of my paychecks for years, yet I'm only 45 and am many years away from retirement. Huh.

[SpaceyG]

This reminds me of a chat I had last week with a former FEMA Regional Director. He told me that not only was he never allowed to build any concentration camps, but that he never even got one lousy black helicopter either!