Now, as is the way of such things, in a few days, the Good Puppy Press will get bored with reporting this, and the states that give a rat's ass about their citizens will step in and do what BushCo hoped they would do all along - take on the burden at a state level to free up more federal money for giving away to their rich friends. That is the MO of this administration - take the money and run.If we took foreign and defense policy out of the picture entirely, what's Bush's worst domestic policy initiative? The tax cuts were a disaster, the faith-based initiative was outrageous, No Child Left Behind ended up flopping, and there is no coherent energy policy to speak of. But for my money, Bush's Medicare scheme tops 'em all.
The program was passed in 2003 under unusual circumstances that included bribes on the House floor. Before lawmakers agreed to the plan, the administration went to great lengths to deceive Congress about the cost estimates for the plan. Once it became law, and seniors started to learn about the new program, everyone was completely confused and couldn't figure out what to do.
That was then. About two weeks ago, on Jan. 1, the Medicare prescription drug benefit took effect. That's when the real problems started.
Until there is a new government in DC, there is no true remedy for this utter fuck-up. My only consolation is this: That some of the people who will die or end up with terrible complications voted for Bush and the Republicans. Now they get to experience what they thought they wanted. Yes, Democrats and non-voters are going to die, too, but the utter ethical zeros who trotted out to the polls to vote for the giggling murderer are now going to get murdered by their precious leader.
I want each and every Bush voter on Medicare to suffer terribly, lose all of their life savings, beggar their families, and die anyway. That is exactly what you voted for and it is right that you should pay the ultimate price. You'll keep making excuses, but a good number of you will be dead come next election time. Since you tend to live in states with wretched social services, the more your region voted Bush, the more likely you are to die. You don't even have the excuse that you voted against it; you brought it on yourself.
No, I really have no symapthy for anyone who voted for Bush and who is physically or economically suffering due to Bush policies. YOU ASKED FOR IT.
BushCo has fought hard to pass legislation that puts your physical survival in peril. I think it's a wake up call to vote in your rational self-interest next time. Assuming you're around, of course.
Anglachel
2 comments:
Yow!
What about those of us who voted for Kerry but have the misfortune to be related to Bushmen?
My father, brother, and step-father all voted for Bush-- and they all have medical conditions. My dad has a history of heart trouble; my step-dad has had prostate cancer and is 77; my brother has arthritis and epilepsy. Oh, and Dad lives in FL, while the other two are in MD-- which is a blue state, and might arguably take better care of its people.
As for the chances of their "beggaring" me-- probably not good. I rejected the "dutiful daughter" role a long time ago.
Good point.
What I said is only partially rhetorical. At this point, people who make shitty political decisions need to be in pain for those decisions, or they won't have a reason to change. And this means BIG pain. Irrefutable pain. Pain that cannot help but be traced back to the source - the criminal gang currently running the US government and trying to turn this country into a fascist dictatorship.
Now, your relatives possibly wouldn't mind such a dictatorship in the abstract, but could be convinced to change their minds if they are physically endangered by said dictatorship. This is in the cards now, given the utter incompetance of the current administration.
The fact, sadly, is that people who are inclined to support authoritarianism tend to mentally exempt themselves from the category of human scum they fantacize the tough men will dispose of. To make them stop supporting dictators takes having them be treated like scum by those dictators. And, too often, even that isn't enough.
This isn't something that will only touch Bush supporters. My parents & in-laws (Kerry voters in a blue state) are already feeling the pain of the Medicare mess. People who did try to think, and who voted for sensible government, are going to also pay the price.
I have spent years listening to the rabid right accuse me of being a traitor to my country, bloviate on air and in print on how nice it would be to execute or assassinate liberals (Ann Coulter advocating killing Justice Stevans just the other day), and claim that it should be just fine to kill me in cold blood because I don't support their psychopathic vision of Brave New World. I think I'm actually pretty reasonable here, since all I want is for Bush supporters to experience the full effects of what they clearly demonstrated they wanted.
Anglachel
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