My letter to my Senator, Sen Wyden regarding Medicare

[neverforget]

Senator Wyden,

I am writing to express my dismay and disappointment with your bipartisan plan for Medicare with Rep. Paul Ryan. Why are you teaming up with a Republican who hates government and wants to shrink it? The whole Republican Party hates government but you’re going to team up with them to kill Medicare as we know it?

Maybe you’ve spent too much time in Washington DC, but out here in the real world, we’re getting killed with health care costs. They continue to rise while insurance covers less and costs more for premiums. Did you see the Census data that shows 1 in 2 Americans are poor or low income? How do you expect Americans to pay more for health care when they barely have enough money to put food on the table and a roof over their head? How about the job situation? We need jobs but you’re teaming with Rep Ryan to make Medicare more expensive for Americans if not outright kill the program. You’re priorities are completely screwed up. Instead of making Medicare compete with private plans, why not make Medicare available for all Americans from birth to death? You know, like the rest of the world? I guess that wouldn’t work because the health care industry wouldn't be able to make exorbitant profits. It should be Medicare Part E for Everyone. Instead, we get this “bipartisan” plan that throws seniors into the so-called free market where profit rules.

To say that I am shocked with this coming from you is an understatement. This certainly is not something I can support as a Democrat. I look forward to finding someone who will fight for the little guy and not team up with a Republican to effectively kill Medicare. What is lacking in Congress are people who look out for the little guy. I thought that was you but apparently I was wrong. With that said you no longer have my support and I will vote for someone who will look out for me, the little guy.

Finally, thanks for giving the Republican Party the “bipartisanship” fig leaf for their extreme agenda. That is truly stupid.

Sincerely,

[Graybeard]

1. Great letter.

What the hell is Wyden thinking??!!

[neverforget]

2. Thank you and I don't know. I was shocked to find this out

and as you can see, he's lost my support.

[trueblue2007]

16. i think..... WYDEN IS THINKING WITH HIS ARMPIT. he sure is not using his head

i phoned his washington dc office. left my opnion with a young man staffer who tried hard to toe the wyden/paul line about how this was so great for us all


i said i have voted for wyden my whole life but would not support him ever again. i had been on hold for 15 minutes!!! i think everyone in oregon is phoning in their DISAPPROVAL.


this plan will KILL MEDICARE as we know it. and MEDICARE as we know it is GOOD

[now_zad]

3. Did you miss the poll that said that 50% of Democrats think big government is not good?

Just wondering how you can't expect that a good half of Democrats that vote don't also agree that big government is not a good thing.

Seriously, nobody wants the government running every thing right down to the smallest detail of every day life and that is the direction we are headed.

I am a small government democrat and most I know are the same. They use to call us JFK Democrats. Now they call us Independents.

[abelenkpe]

5. Musta missed that poll

Maybe they were only calling fools?

[now_zad]

7. Could be. They over called fools that love big government? NT

[neverforget]

6. Good for you. You must have yours so screw those who don't right?

[ProSense]

8. No

"Did you miss the poll that said that 50% of Democrats think big government is not good?"

...I didn't miss the poll: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=9881

[subterranean]

12. What does that have to do with the OP?

The post was about Medicare, not "big government." Are you saying you oppose Medicare because it is run by the government? Has the existence of Medicare led to the government running every aspect of your life? Most Americans over 65 are happy to have it.

[newspeak]

13. so, instead of "big" government

I suppose those democrats just love having big for profit corporations running everything. Those corporations that must make a profit for WS investors over the quality of product or paying a decent wage. Also, the taxpayer usually winds up paying more for the services. There are some services that are better provided by the government.

Also, the more the government privatizes, the less power the people have while corporations garner more influence and power within the government.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

14. I think if you tried harder you might have been able to fit even more moronic Randian talking

points.

[Old Codger]

4. Me too

I wrote one also, not as good as yours but I am sure he will get the idea from it....Very disappointed in this.

[neverforget]

9. I wonder what got into Sen Wyden? Money?

[mascarax]

10. Thank you both for writing him

Can't figure him out either.
Thom Hartman seems convinced he's going to switch parties (comment during his show today...I came in at the end of the conversation with a caller, who had called Wyden's office and gotten some hem-haw about "reform" and looking at all sides)!

[EC]

11. Yep...

The way Ryan was smiling told me that the repubs told him to find at least one Dem he could fool to back him in a rewriting his bill and then all campaign season next year they can say "well it's a bipartison proposal and the President still said no" or " the Dems want to kill Medicare" yada, yada...he just gave Ryan a Xmas Gift that won't stop giving and Ryan couldn't hold in his glee.

[trueblue2007]

15. THE WYDEN - RYAN plan stinks.

say NO to Wyden linking Medicare with that JERK Paul Ryan. the plan STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN. (In The Wall Street Journal, Senator Ron Wyden & Congressman Paul Ryan introduce a plan to allow private plans to directly compete with traditional Medicare to lower costs & spur innovation.) insurance companies will NEVER offer better plans than Medicare. Seniors and the rest of us will be hurt by this worse than medicare plan. THANKS RON FOR STABBING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE BACK. I won't suppor you AGAIN Sen Wyden if you go down this road.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/wyden-ryan-medicare_n_1151274.html


It is also clear, however, that the new bipartisan model has the potential to cause major political headaches for both parties -- particularly Democrats.

Ryan's original plan, which turned Medicare into a voucher system, was widely unpopular and served as an anchor around the neck of virtually every Republican. And while GOP lawmakers still have to explain the votes they cast for it, they can now make the argument that the party's point person on the issue has moved on to friendlier turf.

For Democrats, Wyden's work with Ryan is giving Republicans cover on an issue that seemed destined to hurt their congressional reelection chances. Not only that, it aids former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, both presidential candidates who have proposed hybrid approaches to Medicare reform similar to what Wyden and Ryan are introducing. It's telling, indeed, that the White House used Gingrich's famous "wither on the vine" line to characterize the approach.

“For starters, this is bad policy and a complete political loser," said a senior Democratic Congressional aide. "On top of the terrible politics, they even admit that it dismantles Medicare but achieves no budgetary savings while doing so -- the worst of all worlds. Thanks for nothing.”

[neverforget]

17. I listened to Sen Wyden this morning on AM 620 KPOJ being interviewed and

I was even more pissed at what he's doing. The callers seem to agree with me. What a dumbass.