tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post9178366234451473198..comments2024-03-27T15:44:43.564-08:00Comments on What Do I Know?: "I want the same health care system that my senators and congressmen ...have"Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10498066938213558757noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post-71074015629237066242010-10-16T12:45:28.381-08:002010-10-16T12:45:28.381-08:00Kathy, thanks for jumping in. Your comments tell m...Kathy, thanks for jumping in. Your comments tell me I didn't make my points very well. Whether social security is a dedicated fund or not really was a side point and could have been left out altogether.<br /><br />My main point was that we've become a society where a lot of folks think they deserve everything they want, except for any blame when things go wrong. They distribute that to the easiest targets - politicians, Muslims, immigrants, Fundamentalists, Gays, basically 'not us.'<br /><br />In this case, at least politicians try to make a difference. Running for office takes a lot of work, thick skin, and fortitude. Watching the Alaska legislators up close this past session, I saw that every one wanted to do good things. Some were smarter than others, some worked harder than others, but most of them really were there to make Alaska a better place, however they may define 'better.'<br /><br />The rest of us give them a lot of lip, but their job isn't easy.<br /><br />So I was basically asking Mr. Maxwell why he should get the same benefits the people we elect (yeah if they're scum, we share the blame for picking them) to do our work for us? Just for living? I'm not trying to be snarky, but I didn't understand why Mr. Maxwell thought he was entitled to benefits that come with a job he never applied for.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10498066938213558757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post-47231959064652260912010-10-16T10:54:35.193-08:002010-10-16T10:54:35.193-08:00What a lot of different points wrapped up in one l...What a lot of different points wrapped up in one little package! Here’s my scoring of the bout:<br /><br />"I want the same health care system that my senators and congressmen and their staffs have.” Steve says it would be nice if we all had this; tone of voice implying that it’s a pipe dream, just like envying Bill Gates’s big house, and we should just knuckle down and accept the fact that the have-nots can’t have what the haves have. Why can’t we all have the same system? If we can’t afford congressional coverage for everybody, then give everybody something a little less. POINT TO: GARY<br /><br />“The Democrats tried to make sure everyone had at least minimal health insurance and were slammed by Republicans for, among other things, the costs. Tea Party folks are trying to undo that new health program.” Absolutely right – and it’s not just the Tea Party folks but the establishment Republicans as well, who did their damnedest to go against the wishes of the electorate and kill the health bill, and now, having lost fair and square, are trying to kill it in the courts. While ignoring the best estimates that the new health bill will actually reduce the deficit. POINT TO: STEVE<br /><br />"No cost-of-living increase in my Supplemental Security Income is a travesty beyond words." Steve’s right – cost-of-living increases are supposed to compensate for increases in the cost of living, which didn’t happen this year. POINT TO: STEVE<br /><br />“I would note this money (SSI) comes from all of us who pay taxes - general tax revenues - not from money Mr. Maxwell contributed specifically to the program.” Actually, both Social Security and Medicare come from all of us who pay taxes. The myth that regular Social Security comes from money that people contribute specifically to the program was invented by FDR and his brain trust to sell the program in the first place. It wasn’t true then (the first Social Security beneficiary contributed $22 and collected more than $20,000) and it’s not true now. Yes, there are taxes that we say go into a trust fund, but that’s like saying I’m putting my rent money in this pocket and my food money in the other pocket – it’s still all my money. If the trust fund ever runs out of money we’ll take something from another pocket so the checks keep coming. More important, when I get benefits from the trust fund, it’s not coming out of my personal account (that’s exactly what Bush tried so hard to accomplish, and failed so miserably at, thank god) but out of money paid in by younger workers still on the job. If it weren’t backed by the full faith and credit of the federal government you could call it a Ponzi scheme. POINT TO: well, Gary didn’t really make this point, Steve did, so let’s say POINT AGAINST: STEVE<br /><br />Thanks, guys, for a nice debate!!kathy in KYnoreply@blogger.com