Trump cuts Medicare while Insurance Companies Pay No Taxes, Receive 1.7 Bil refund

[Voltron]

In what can only be considered a win for sadists, Donald Trump's proposed budget will make significant cuts to medicare.

Medicare, a program that started in 1966 to help take care of people over 65 has provided a much needed safety net for citizens who need it most. Obviously, this is good for people who hate socialism.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-c...e-and-medicaid

In the meantime, insurance companies have posted record profits and, despite paying no taxes in 2018, got $1.7 billion tax refund.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcar...dZu45Er9HG-Elg

That's right, folks! Trump's taking your money AND your land for his stupid Wall! And now he's coming for the elderly.

I wonder who he'll blame in 2020? Maybe Tim Apple? Or Nancy Democrat?

[Voltron]

http://www.nasponline.org/tfy20?fbcl...xxJ3CgH168N-8k

I know most people don't care, but I figure I'll leave this here anyway as it's somewhat on topic.

As some have pointed out, there's an issue with mental health in the United States. Trump's budget will be making deep cuts to the education programs, too.

The link is to a letter from the National Association of School Psychologists who are calling attention to the alarming trend of cutting programs for people who need help and cannot provide for themselves.

It's also important to bear in mind that each time the issues of gun violence, drug addiction, and mental health are brought up, that we had a chance to put some money and effort towards the issue and didn't.

[Andrew NDB]

I see these articles and have read them. But I'd like to see the whole plan, all of it. Not just the parts cherry-picked to make it all look bad.

There can be a headline of "Trump cuts ____ million for education!" But that can be many things within that.

[Barkworm]

I only occasionally lurk for nostalgic reasons, but it's great to see my favourite poster from way back having become a voice of reason while still maintaining his sense of humour. Kudos!

Also, sorry for posting off-topic again, but I assume you were not hoping for getting a great discussion out of this.

[Voltron]

Someone's gotta balance this place out. I wish I didn't have to, as I'd much rather be self aggrandizing ass than someone who has to explain things to everyone.

It doesn't seem to be taking, though.

What fascinates me is the absolute faith people have. The history of consistent failures means nothing. The incidents of overtly racist actions means nothing. The scandals mean nothing.

And I have no idea why.

We just came out of a presidency where a man was scrutinized for every little thing. Every aspect of his life was gone over with time and again with fine tooth comb.

Now we have a president who literally is everything Obama was accused of being and. . . nothing. Suddenly, we have to be even handed. We have to put things in to context. If there's even an instance of his actions occurring somewhere else, then the bizarre and sometimes criminal acts are just something we have to live with.

I'm not going to sit idly by while people deliberately spout half truths, propaganda, and out-right lies.

I have no problem holding a mirror up to them. Of course, they don't like what they see. Every spin piece, every slanted article is met with the same eye-rolls and jeers that I've come to expect.

I have no problem with conservatism. But that's not what they're supporting. There's nothing even handed or thought out about it. Many times, I log on here to find a new thread with a link to Fox News and some pithy line like "THIS IS BAD!". No thought. No consideration. No opposing opinions to it.

And should I ever point any of this out, I get the ol' "what about_____?", indicating that they're not even WILLING to consider it.

Whatever. Maybe one day they'll wise up and realize that the only reason I'm plastering this up here is because they're doing it first and won't stop being a bunch of little wieners about it.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Voltron

The history of consistent failures means nothing. The incidents of overtly racist actions means nothing. The scandals mean nothing.

Saying something is a thing and wanting it to be over and over again doesn't make it so. Making mountains of molehills -- or nothing at all -- doesn't bring them to life.

[Vegita-San]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Saying something is a thing and wanting it to be over and over again doesn't make it so. Making mountains of molehills -- or nothing at all -- doesn't bring them to life.

for some people with derangment syndrome, it really does.

And at this point, i'd just upgarde the term to political derangment syndrome, because it effects everyone who follows this garbage.

it gets harder and harder to reveal the truth...because anyone with derangement syndrome, the first thing that comes to mind is 'OK, what is the REAL story, here?' they are degrading their own cause because of the constant hopefulness that 'this time we'll get him'.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Voltron

The link is to a letter from the National Association of School Psychologists who are calling attention to the alarming trend of cutting programs for people who need help and cannot provide for themselves.

This country really has little excuse for being as idiotic as this.

"Yes, here is a big tax cut that by and large mostly benefits the wealthiest people. Oops, that had the result of helping jack up the national debt as it so often does. We need to get the debt under control! Time to cut programs that help people who actually need it, including those mentally ill people, of whom a few might be worse off enough that they may loose their treatments and shoot up a place, but hey, who cares, the middle and lower class are a dime a dozen."

I mean, it's no wonder the Dems always have to play the "bad guy" who don't get to hand out tax cuts and sometimes have to increase it, because they're always stuck with fixing the debt; something Repubs suddenly care about again when they aren't in power.


My immediate thought with the cuts to Medicare is what this will mean for my mother, who is on plenty of meds and is a diabetic, and a good chunk of the social security went away when my father died and which has already been decreased for either last year or this (don't recall). It's already hardly enough to try to get by on. And it's not like the Medicare is free. The cost to her better as hell go down if they're going to up and affect seniors with more cuts. (But hey, time to try to right this ship now that Mr. CEO got his fourth yacht with his tax break.)

And being her favorite child to take stress out on, including this kind of stuff... yeah, great, look forward to this.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-c...e-and-medicaid
...the budget would convert Medicaid into a decentralized system administered by the states and financed by federal block grants.

It's a bit concerning that my little state is at the very bottom of the list in the amount of federal dollars it is given -- despite being one of the top contributors (per capita) in the money it hands over -- with the least of it coming back to us via federal dollars, per dollar we give to the government, and a lot of it going to support states that receive more than they contribute in the first place... They better fix this nonsense and let us keep more of the tax dollars generated here for use for our residents, because whatever a block grant is (I assume money that is free to distribute however a state wishes?), I don't really see my state making out any better than it already presently does and no doubt will remain at the bottom. Already scraping the bottom of the barrel here.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

"Yes, here is a big tax cut that by and large mostly benefits the wealthiest people.

I'm far from wealthy, yet I paid almost $2,000 less in taxes this past year. Have you actually analyzed this tax cut, or are you just parroting what your favorite "news" outlet is telling you to think?

[IndigoErth]

Well, good for you, not everyone is so fortunate, why you gotta be rude. And largely off topic.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Voltron

Someone's gotta balance this place out. I wish I didn't have to, as I'd much rather be self aggrandizing ass than someone who has to explain things to everyone.

It doesn't seem to be taking, though.

What fascinates me is the absolute faith people have. The history of consistent failures means nothing. The incidents of overtly racist actions means nothing. The scandals mean nothing.

And I have no idea why.

We just came out of a presidency where a man was scrutinized for every little thing. Every aspect of his life was gone over with time and again with fine tooth comb.

Now we have a president who literally is everything Obama was accused of being and. . . nothing. Suddenly, we have to be even handed. We have to put things in to context. If there's even an instance of his actions occurring somewhere else, then the bizarre and sometimes criminal acts are just something we have to live with.

I'm not going to sit idly by while people deliberately spout half truths, propaganda, and out-right lies.

I have no problem holding a mirror up to them. Of course, they don't like what they see. Every spin piece, every slanted article is met with the same eye-rolls and jeers that I've come to expect.

I have no problem with conservatism. But that's not what they're supporting. There's nothing even handed or thought out about it. Many times, I log on here to find a new thread with a link to Fox News and some pithy line like "THIS IS BAD!". No thought. No consideration. No opposing opinions to it.

And should I ever point any of this out, I get the ol' "what about_____?", indicating that they're not even WILLING to consider it.

Whatever. Maybe one day they'll wise up and realize that the only reason I'm plastering this up here is because they're doing it first and won't stop being a bunch of little wieners about it.

I always find funny how people from the "right side of history" act like some kind of wannabe superheroes, with batshit crazy Rorschach-like monologues to match.

All those speech about bringing "mirror to them", "they should see the truth", "they all lap up propaganda" sounds like a zealot crying about infidels who don't want to warship his gods.

And no personal accountability or self-reflection and examining "why is this happening". Just "this guys are bad - they should become smart or I gonna hate them!!"

All zealots are all the same.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Cutting Medicare is a good thing. We need to cut that, Medicaid, and Social Security. That's a big part of what's bleeding us out, along with the damn military...

[snake]