There's nothing like Medicare to bring out the idiocy in politicians

Fundamentally, the only thing Bush and Democrats fight about is how to spend the money they stole from taxpayers, and how they should steal it. Democrats wants to get it all now, and damn the rest of us. Bush is perfectly willing to compromise with Democrats on higher spending, but he wants to shift the burden to future generations.

Bush Vetoes Bill to Stop Doctors' Medicare Cut
Bush Vetoes Bill to Protect Doctors From Cut in Medicare Pay, Objects to Financing
By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON July 15, 2008 (AP)

President Bush on Tuesday vetoed a bill designed to protect doctors from a 10.6 percent cut in their reimbursement rates when treating Medicare patients.

The White House supports rescinding the pay cut, but objects to the way the legislation would finance the plan, largely by reducing spending on private health plans. Both chambers of Congress are expected to move quickly to try to override the veto, beginning with the House.

"I support the primary objective of this legislation, to forestall reductions in physician payments," Bush said in a statement. "Yet taking choices away from seniors to pay physicians is wrong."

The New York Sun explained that part I emphasized: "To pay for rescinding the 10.6% rate cut, lawmakers would reduce spending on private health insurers serving about 9 million elderly and disabled patients through Medicare Advantage."

Now wait a minute: private health plans? If the government is spending my money on someone else, there's nothing "private" about it! "Private" means that government stays out of it.

And how does the Washington Post report this? By quoting Nancy Pelosi, who makes it appear like mean ol' Bush doesn't want people to go see the doctor. Nothing could be further from the truth, even if the truth means Bush wants people to go see the doctor courtesy of other people's coerced money.

Bush correctly vetoed the bill, but he'll likely never understand it was for the wrong reason: it's good that doctors will take a 10% pay hit for Medicare patients. That gives them less incentive to accept patients who can only "pay" via Medicare -- I used quotes there because they're not paying, Medicare's not paying, but the rest of us who pay taxes, whose money government takes at the point of a gun, are paying.

If Pelosi and her husband want to make sure "poor" people can see doctors, they can set an example by paying the bills themselves, instead of making me pay. The two are veritable "rich bitches": they evidently are now earning millions each year in rental income from their waterfront properties, whose values have increased thanks to Pelosi's votes. "Most ethical Congress in history," riiiiiight.