Medicare penalty redux

The more I read and think about the prescription "benefit" and the penalty to NOT buying into it now- the angrier I get. It reminds me of the credit card bill aka the bankruptcy "reform." It's all about scaring people into paying paying paying....

Here is the penalty: at least 1% of the national average premium will be added to your premium for each MONTH that you delay signing up...and of course, we are reminded, that the average premium will go UP each year ...[so they have already calculated that increase] Let's see - if you do not need medications now and you choose to sign up you are "giving" the feds about $360 a year to insure not paying the "penalty" later...

to me it sounds like the credit card bill - pay now and pay later OR ELSE!!!!

Why is our government into penalizing people who are healthy now? Is it the same reason the dark sider in the WH is pushing torture? They just don't like people? And why can't we look at better preventive care instead of warning people they WILL get sick as they age? Actually I have gotten sick less as I have aged...because I have learned how to follow alternative ideas re my health and well if I do need expensive meds at some point, I'll pay for them myself and not pay those dark siders their penalty -

I bet when we elect a saner Congress we will see major changes in this Medicare "benefit." Some people actually have respect for their elders and are not out to punish those who live a long time and stay healthy!

Ratings Contest

I say we have a contest to see if the shrub's ratings can beat those for Nixon - making the shrub the most untrusted president ever!

C'mon you of that 35%....what more info do you need? Oops I forgot - that's the 35% who, like the shrub, don't bother listening to the news - they get their info from "trusted" friends like faux [thank you to who ever thought that one up] and/or their rapture leaders....

As for the 16% who have changed their minds in less than a year - why did you not listen to us last October/November BEFORE the election? A belated welcome to our side and - PLEASE help vote out the repugs in Congress in 2006 or you will be sorrier, poorer and in worse overall shape than you are now... these people are removing the safety net we had for the poorest among us..and when you move into that category - they [your repug congress people] will laugh at you and tell you to get yourself out of your own mess....

And lastly - did you see that DeLay calls you? This is from Scanlon, a DeLay aide [as reported in Salon]
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/11/03/abramoff/index_np.html

"The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees," Scanlon wrote in the memo, which was read into the public record at a hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. "Simply put, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them."

Such hypocrites!

The hypocrisy in the administration and it's cohorts in Congress never ceases to amaze even cynical-old-me..and it's not just about the indictment and it's aftermath on the RWM talk shows, it's the Medicare so-called prescription "benefits" and the phony choked up voice of the seer-in-chief aka Frist.....

Let's start with the indictment of Libby. Gee - "no crime" they all say - did they not hear Fitzgerald? the Bush WH COVERED UP and OBSTRUCTED the investigation - so the crime, although known, has not been fully investigated - BUT IT WILL BE... I guess they also missed Fitzgerald saying he is not done!

Next- Medicare...all I can say is geeze....a lot of killed trees are being turned into paper for this one - I am over 65 so I have been inundated with all sorts of offers about Medicare Part D - the alleged prescription plan that they hypocrites passed in the middle of the night after threatening, cajoling and keeping the vote open all night - Oh yes and lying about the costs....It is a nightmare to figure out - and I can read and parse the "if" and "may" sections. Basically one can pay an amount, conveniently deducted form your social security check monthly for the alleged benefit of maybe getting some or if you are lucky, all, of your medications at a cheaper rate AFTER you pay a yearly deductible. Here in Oregon I got a 100 page "booklet" about this and a list of the plans I can choose from. I understand the lucky Californians have at least twice as many plans to read about.

The part that pisses me off the most is that you are advised to buy into the plan now even if you do not need it - why? to avoid a financial penalty later on when you may need it. So let's see - I can pay the feds $30 to $40 a month for years to come only to avoid a penalty in 10-20-30 years? Duh! Is this the way we are going to pay for the lies of the repugs about the cost of this plan?

Oh yes and the news today is that the cost of drugs for "older" people is outstripping inflation - this from the AARP:

The Associated Press

"WASHINGTON -- Price increases for brand-name prescription drugs popular with older people rose at twice the general rate of inflation for the year ending June 30, though the gap narrowed a bit, the AARP said.
The lobbying group said the average price increase for 193 brand-name drugs that are most often prescribed to people over 50 amounted to 6.1 percent. Meanwhile, the overall inflation rate was 3 percent for the year."

If you think it's bad now- wait til the plan last days of enrollment next May- I predict the costs of the more "popular" drugs will skyrocket and the companies now offering those drugs will remove them from the list of what you can buy at a discount...that's the "if" and as you can only change plans once a year you will be stuck buying at the higher cost - yes they say you "may" be able to switch plans but cynical me thinks that will be impossible- "may" is not "can."

Lastly Frist - the man who can diagnose a brain dead woman as okay and do it from afar - gets all chocked up that Reid called forth a Senate rule and Frist did not know ahead of time....poor baby...guess he lost his super all-knowing powers... YECK.....what a turd...

Peace

Indictment

Well Libby was indicted....do I feel happy? not at all...it's sad that our country has fallen to such a position - again! and I am referring to Nixon - not Clinton - I'd rather have an administration get bad press over sex than national security.... as one hears often, Clinton's blow job did not kill anyone.

What keeps nagging at me - and others to whom I have spoken is the shrub's "ratings." He is now at 40% or less - and this is NOT EVEN one year since that re-selection.... if he legitimately got over 50% of the vote...why did he lose 10% of that base so fast? Nothing different is known now than was known last November - he's still a liar- he is still arrogant - his administration is still engaged in an endless killing field in Iraq - they still have no plans for Iraq, the economy etc. except his dorky "stay the course" - and they still go after tose who disagree with them..

so either the vote was rigged last year or a lot of people now realize how stupid they were to vote for this #$@%$%%$&**&...

After that election a friend and I said that we'd sit back and wait for voter's remorse and the say "we told you so" but it's too sad a state of affairs right now to say that : (

The indictments are coming!

Oh wow....a day I have waited for since November of 2000....Even if the shrub tries to pardon the criminals after they are indicted - I'll still smile....but you know what? I don't think the public will take lightly to pre-trial pardons like with the shrub's father....and I am almost sure the shrub is not a bold as Nixon and won't try for a mass firing tonight and tomorrow..so I will await my celebration - saddened by the vigil I will also attend for the 2000th child who died as a result of this illegal action in Iraq...

peace