"Dear Florida": Five Ways McCain/Palin Will Make Things Worse For Older Americans

Obama has built a massive lead over McCain in the last several weeks. But while McCain now lags in all age groups, he retains his strongest support among voters 65 and older. Maybe that's because the overall economic crisis has received so much attention. The country hasn't devoted enough time to talking about the effect this election could have on retired people.

So I wrote a little letter. It goes like this:
________________________________

Dear Florida (and anywhere else Americans over 65 live in large, swing-state-vote numbers):

It gets a little harder for me to use the word "seniors' with every passing year. Is that time whispering in my ear? But I'd like to talk about five ways a McCain/Palin victory could impact ... er, older Americans in the next four years. And for those of you who are in Florida - well, we won't even discuss the fact that you live in a part of the country the McCain campaign says "isn't 'pro-America.'" How dare they? You've served this country well, in war and in peace. Who are they to say who loves this country and who doesn't?

But enough about that. Here are five things you should consider before you vote.

1. They Want to Cut Medicare.

It's not complicated: John McCain wants to cut Medicare by $1.3 trillion over the next ten years. He says he'll do it in two ways: by "cutting waste and fraud," and by "reforming payment policies." As a young systems analyst over 25 years ago, one of my first jobs involved reviewing the anti-fraud software Medicare was using. It was pretty sophisticated even then, and techniques keep improving. Sure, there's undoubtedly more fraud to be uncovered. But $1 trillion worth? No.

That leaves McCain and Palin squeezing most of that $1 trillion from "reforming payment policies." Here's what those words mean in real-life terms: Physicians will be forced to accept lower payments. They'll probably have to justify their actions with more paperwork, too.

The end result? More doctors will stop accepting Medicare patients, making it harder for you to find one when you need treatment. And they'll be more reluctant to perform certain procedures, when they feel Medicare isn't covering the real cost of the service.

That will make it harder for you to get the medical care you need and deserve.

2. They'll Tamper With Social Security.

When John McCain first announced his spending freeze he named a few exemptions. Social Security wasn't one of them. He added it to the list a few days later after an outcry. But McCain has a history of advocating Social Security cuts, and he's pushed a privatization plan that could have left retired people even more devastated by the recent economic downturn.

He says now that he's disowned his past support for "privatizing" Social Security. But as recently as this March he said that "I'm totally in favor of personal savings accounts... As part of Social Security reform, I believe that private savings accounts are a part of it--along the lines that President Bush proposed." (courtesy AFL-CIO)

It doesn't improve things that much if you say, as Mr. McCain now does, that privatization should be strictly "voluntary." Once you allow people to opt out of the group system, it becomes less financially stable. McCain's policy puts our nation's retirement safety net at risk.

(By the way, my use of the word "unstable" isn't a coded attack on Sen. McCain's age - honest! Colin Powell's the same age, and he was steady as a rock on Meet The Press last Sunday. Didn't you think?)

3. Access to Credit

Sure, this is a big problem for younger people. But it will be a problem for retirees, too. Credit won't be nearly as easy to get as it has been. Lenders will be tempted to tighten rules for people who are on fixed incomes, and those whose life expectancy is not as long.

Who do you think that will affect most?

You may not need to buy a new home, but you probably use credit for any number of smaller purchases. Higher interest rates and difficulty getting credit could make it more difficult for you to conduct your routine financial transactions.

Sen. McCain has a record of promoting less financial regulation. That's not what the country needs right now. It's certainly not good for people who are most likely to face unfair discrimination or predatory loan practices from lending institutions. That, unfortunately, may include you.

Credit is one of those things we don't normally think about ... until it becomes a problem. Well, it's becoming a problem.

4. McCain/Palin Could Undermine Retiree Benefits

We know that Sen. McCain plans to tax working people's health insurance benefits for the first time. He proposes to replace a benefit worth about $12,000 for an active worker with tax credits worth $5,000 for a family and $2,500 for an individual.

We don't yet know whether McCain and Palin will tax health benefits that are provided through employer or union retirement plans, too. If they do, that will hit your wallet or pocketbook. But even if they don't, the net result of the McCain health plan will be to encourage healthier people in the workforce to drop their employer's coverage. That will force employers to cover a pool of sicker and costlier workers, driving up the overall costs for each employee still in their plan. Their benefit plans will run at an even greater deficit as a result.

Historically, employers have always looked to make up for these deficits in two ways: By cutting benefits for workers, or by cutting them for retirees. Usually, they do both. That could be bad news for a lot of older Americans.

5. Their Policies Would Be Hell On the Grandkids, Too.

More deficit spending. That's what we would see under McCain/Palin. They want to extend the tax giveaways to big corporations and the top 2% wealthiest people in America. They want to cut the capital gains tax, the lion's share of which is paid by millionaires. Not to mention the fact that they want to continue the war in Iraq, at a cost of $12 billion per month. (And talk about supporting the troops! The troops have done their job over there. Now let's bring them home. The real problem is that politicians haven't done their job and negotiated a withdrawal. They should stop trying to pin their own failures on our fighting men and women.)

All this spending will add trillions to the already-enormous national deficit (which was a surplus eight years ago, as we all remember.) That deficit isn't going to hurt you. Frankly, it's not going to hurt me very much either. But our children and grandchildren will be swamped with a lifetime of debt (some calculate the average now at over $700,000 per family.)

At this rate, younger Americans will never achieve the standard of living that your generation and mine enjoyed.

The short-term impact of this national debt will be toughest on the grandkids - the ones in college, the ones looking for their first jobs, the ones hoping to buy their first homes. Now, I don't know if you've heard about that horrible Sarah Silverman! She's the comedian who's telling grandchildren they should threaten not to come visit again this year if you don't vote for Obama. Who could say such a thing?

I'd never suggest anything like that. But four more years of Republican policies will leave your grandkids so financially strapped they may not be able to afford another visit. I know how I miss my kids. (No grandkids yet, but my son and daughter are finally old enough for me to start pressuring them about it. I'm supposed to do that, right?)

We all want the best for the generations that follow us. A huge debt, most of which goes into the pockets of the wealthy, isn't the best we can provide.

We can do better. So I hope you'll join us on November 4 and vote for Barack Obama and the other Democratic candidates in your area. It's best for everyone. Really.
__________________________

(See also: Excuse Me, But Didn't McCain and Palin Just Say the Victims of 9/11 Weren't 'Real Americans'?)

RJ Eskow blogs when he can at:

A Night Light
The Sentinel Effect: Healthcare Blog
Future-While-U-Wait

Comments

[MatoSka]

``To rebuild economic health in the United States, you need a serious recession that will last several years,'' he said. ``The patient that got drunk on credit growth needs to go into rehabilitation. To give him more alcohol, the way the Fed and the Treasury propose to do, is the wrong medicine.'' Marc Faber http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aDXICWsT2rWs

[Fightnmad]

RJ- This administration has already done all of these things. Ask any person receiving social security and Medicare what has happened to them since the repubs have held this government hostage. They'll tell you that they're cutting their meds in half and sometimes fourths because they CANNOT afford the high prices for them! You have people on oxygen who must take a job at the local supermarket to make ends meet! We've all heard about the 70+ yr old "greeter" who is not allowed to sit while working. Thousands have lost their homes of 50 years because of increased property taxes they cannot afford on their fixed incomes. They visit local churches, soup kitchens, and food banks (which are collapsing under the demand) in order to fill their bellies.

The neo cons in power have stolen much from those in need: America's vets, the young, the elderly, the disabled. Besides the basic necessities of life--food, clothing, medicines, shelter-- they have also stolen the right to live! Those in need lose their sense of dignity and worth and this is because the repubs INSIST on treating them as unwanted parasites to be exterminated.

Since the GOP took power, America has become unrecognizable:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door." ~~Plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty

[MatoSka]

Being a Baby Boomer, I think I qualify as an "Older American". Let's increase the heat on Congressional candidates for a plan that forsees the Graying of America. We know McCain will freeze all spending except military spending if he is elected. We don't know how Obama will address the budget implications of the bailout that he voted for.

It;s good to raise the isue of defense spending, but let's no forget Obama's "committment" to Afghanistan when we do.

I would never advocate for INCREASING the access to credit. It only perpetuates the illusions that people can have everything, anytime they want it. Home buyers who recently found themselves upside-down illustrates the inherent flaws in promoting loose credit. The current pump priming by the Treasury Secretary of the sound commercial banks is an effort to do exactly what RJ is proposing in this regard. No?

As for Social Security, it is past time to "tamper" with it. With many peoples' retirement funds being wiped out, it needs to become more than a supplement for those among the elderly in dire need. It may be the only lifeline that millions of people have to hold on to.

[cherlybear]

There's all kinds of reports that electronic voting machines in Florida are changing Obama/Biden votes to McCain/Palin votes right before the voters eyes - this needs to be reported ASAP.

Always request a paper ballot when possible. Obama's money needs to be invested in a legal team to tackle this problem now.

These voting machines and their programming are distributed by republican-leaning companies.

[LJinFla]

Got a link to those reports, I would greatly appreciate it since I am a Floridian and I want my vote to count.

[Fightnmad]

You can find a wealth of info on voter fraud, suppression, purging, rigging:

http://www.bradblog.com/

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/

There are 100's of thousands who will be voting on the same faulty machines and the same faulty scanners that were in operation in '04. Add to this the voter suppression/purging/intimidation techniques in use today, and you've got to question if we're really in America anymore.

[LJinFla]

Got a link? I want my vote to count here.

[jja]

My father voted today in Palm Beach county and reported lawyers for each side being present to oversee the process. Anyone else in FL with info?

[bannorhill]

Five ways Obama/Biden will make things worse for Older Americans

1) Block any Republican attempts to reform Medicare. When it goes bankrupt blame the Republicans.

2) After proving government can't run Medicare add Obama's $1/2 trillion per year health care plan. (47,000,000 uninsured at $12,000 per policy per Obama). This puts the US deeper in debt.

3) Ignore Social Security and stonewall any attempts by the Republicans to make it solvent. When it fails blame the Republicans.

4) Increase taxes on corporations so your dividends and retirement funds dry up. Claim it is for the good of the country.

5) Stop all new drilling for oil & gas in the gulf and Alaska. When alternative wind power farms try to pass the Senate Teddy Kennedy & the Democrats will block it. Then they blame the Republicans for no new alternative energy as gas prices soar to $8.00 per gallon.

[ZenNonna]

Full of fallacies:

1. Miss Palin's closing quote in her debate was Ron Reagan's speech to block Medicare. That is Republican's true feelings about Medicare.

2. Just hogwash

3. Republican have always wanted to privatize Social Security. This is the party of "I got mine you should work to get yours".

4. Not a big concern of most seniors

5. Repub "spin" and we do not drive that much

[ChiCityKid3000]

1) Obama is campaigning to close the Part D Drug Coverage Gap to give seniors more accessible and affordable pharms; opposes Medicare Advantage programs (a Bush provision) which costs tax payers more and ultimately results in less access to doctors for seniors and increases premiums for those who aren't considered the healthiest .

2) His health plan doesn't put us deeper in debt because he gets rid of the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy and corporations to help fund his expanded coverage. I'm sure because Sarah Palin said it's socialism you believe that too.

3) Obama's pretty clear keeping SS solvent is a priority. Once again, theyre going to charge the rich a little more to contribute into the kitty, theyre creating pools for people whose companies don't have pension plans which will increase savings participation for the lower and middle class workers, and are going to increase savings incentives.

4) Obama's not taxing your companies pension plans or retirement funds. They're going to stop giving breaks to the CEOs who companies the tax payer has an financial interest in. Not to mention he isn't going to tax seniors making 50k or less and let them take up to 10k out of their IRAs without taxing it.

5) Obama wants to create green jobs as part of his stimulus on the economy, invest in and promote hybrid cars, and essentially realizes the drill now mentality only brings us closer to climate demise and isn't a long term solution.

[bannorhill]

1) Closing the gap does not make Medicare solvent. Obama has not addressed the basic problem.
2) Those tax increases for the corporations will cut the retirement income of the seniors and their retirement fonds invested in the same corporations. We had to bail out all of wall street for $700,000,000,000.00. Now you are adding a program that adds $564,000,000,000.00 of government entitlements EVERY YEAR. That is 80% of the bail out EVERY YEAR.

Webster defines socialism as any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of means of production or distribution.

Obama's plan has the government collecting the money (ownership) and administering health care....Socialism.

3) The Democrats have blocked ALL attempts by Republicans to make ANY changes to social security.

4) See 2 above. When you tax corporations you reduce their profits. The owners of those companies (stockholders) have reduced dividends. Pensions and retirement funds are stockholders in those companies.

5) And Teddy Kennedy will continue to block wind farms.

[ChiCityKid3000]

These are the five reasons to do better research. Also, $8 gas, have you seen prices lately, and do you know anything about gas and oil reserves? You should team up with that joker who advises McCain on economy issues who predicted the DOW would hit 36000 by 2005.

[bannorhill]

Oil prices started dropping when President Bush said he would lift the moratorium on off shore drilling. If we do not start with finding domestic oil supplies AND developing alternative energy sources oil prices will start to climb again. OPEC is already scheduling meetings to restrict the supply and drive prices right back up.

[Bluesue]

I'm one of those lucky retirees who still has health insurance through my former employer (along with a pension so I'm doubly lucky). You raise a point regarding taxing those benefits provided to retirees. This has been overlooked by the media. When the tax aspect of the McCain plan is covered, it's as an assumption that it will impact working people.

With regard to medicare and medicaid, republicans have long hated those programs. McCain's goal is to deliver a gift to private insurers by beginning to eliminate medicare and employer-provided health insurance. A gift of billions of dollars.

[Nomccain]

It doesn't take a brain to figure out that the Republicans are the enemy of the middle class and the elderly. Since people are living longer, they had better reexamine their policies because these people are going to become more and more prominent in electing not only a President, but also those who represent them in congress. The stupid republicans still don't have a clue and that's why I won't vote for them anymore.

[cjgnew]

I like Silverman's suggestion better! It's likely to be more effective, since most of them will not read your post anyway. I also heard the suggestion that the grandchildren should deliberately misplaced their grandparents' car keys on election day. No, that would be too Rovian for my taste. Oh well, let's keep on trying to find new ways to reach out to them. Personally, I think our best shot at convincing them is to show them that making abortion illegal will not get rid of abortions just as making drugs illegal didn't cure the addicts. Let's convince them that education, prevention, and personal responsibility are our best bet to stop the carnage.

Carlos Jean-Gilles
Saint Louis, MO

[bodo]

Most old people have enough brain to realize that Democrats are better for pensioners. If they still vote for McCain anyway, they do so because they are racists. Elderly Jews in Florida nursing homes spread quite openly the lie that Obama is a muslim.

[SpencersMom]

I just don't understand all this concern for the elderly and aging in this country. Money crunch? Just borrow from your lines of credit on one of your seven houses, and write off the interest. Credit spending? Put it on your American Express Black Card - there is no spending limit. Need some quick cash? Hock the $250k diamond jewelry you wore to the Republican convention. Still need a little budget tightening? Sell some Anheuser Busch shares. Trim a bit more? Fire one of the domestic staff, or sell your ownership stake in commercial property that you co-own with Charles Keating.

What? Oh, most Americans don't live like the McCains? Guess they didn't marry as well as John did the second time around. Or weren't lucky enough to be born into great sums of money like Bush. Or didn't make the huge wartime profits off of Halliburton stock options like Cheney.

PEACE

[Bitsko]

If McCain "wants to cut Medicare by $1.3 trillion over the next ten years," he'll have to go through my tough Irish mother and her friends first.

[slugsc]

I'm not sure if the figure of $1.3 trillion is correct, or at least I am unsure of how you arrived at it. It sounds very similar to the figure estimated by Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. $1.3 trillion that would be needed to make McCain's health care plan budget neutral in the long term, a figure spread out over BOTH Medicare and Medicaid. (This estimate is neither endorsed nor disputed by the McCain campaign.)

When the Obama campaign claimed that McCain would cut $882 billion from Medicare, it was denounced as mis-characterizing McCain's positions. His economic adviser had spoken to the Wall Street Journal and said "No service is being reduced. Every beneficiary will in the future receive exactly the benefits that they have been promised from the beginning." But did allude to possible cuts and savings. But as you said, how McCain would make his health care budget neutral with only fraud prevention is beyond me.

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_false_medicare_claim.html

[JamesInDenver]

This is where Phil Gramm (McCain's likely Treasury Secretary) would say "American's are a bunch of Whiners". He'd take Medicare away from his own grandmother.

[Jaybird248]

Here in West Boca Raton, FL, early voting is already happening. I've tried voting 3 times and each time found 1-2 hour waits. That included coming 40 minutes before the polls opened. I always do early voting and this is the first time in 8 years I haven't been able to walk right in. Turnout will be heavy.

Most on line were elderly and I saw cars in the lot with Obama stickers but none for McCain-Palin. If the vote goes the same way, South Florida's retired Jews will help elect a black man as president when many of them have been running from black people all their lives.

Good for him. Good for them too.

[Mom24kidz]

My 70 yo jewish mom in Ft Myers stood on line yesterday for 2 hours to vote for Obama. I am so proud of her! She said most of the people she spoke to in line were also going to vote for him, with the exceptions being people who were originally from upstate FL, and some snowbirds ("rednecks" - her word) from KY. According to her, most of her friends who were even considering McCain changed their minds a) when he chose Palin, or b) when their kids and grandkids asked them to vote Obama.

[oldjerseygirl]

Whoa!! My husband is 65 and I am almost there. Neither one of us is voting for McCain. Sadly, we don't live in Florida.

But, I don't think age has anything to do with voting decisions. I don't know what is wrong with those Floridians, except maybe they don't get enough news outlets and only watch Fox!!

And, does anyone else think that Palin is not campaigning for McCain, but rather for herself and her future plans? That's exactly how I see her. She's a user; I've known plenty of people like her in my long life!

[LJinFla]

Hey now hold yer horses! Nothing wrong with Florida or Floridians....

This state has been put through the wringer twice! Both times screwed by republicans and Bush.

This time, and I am a native Floridian, we will prevail, no question about it.

Vote Early, Vote Obama