All these might be difficult to enact but we don’t know for sure just how difficult since they’ve never really been attempted by themselves — there’s always been some scheme like the stock market thing to muddy the water.

@grackle, every single one of those provisons has already been enacted.

The Social Security Amendments of 1983 (H.R. 1900, Public Law 98-21) increased the age for collecting full Social Security retirement benefits gradually from 65 to 67 over a 22-year period beginning in 2000 for those retiring at 62.

Anyone born after 1959 now has attain age 67 before receiving full retirement benefits.

While the age for early retirement remained at 62, the monthly benefit is reduced by a greater amount as the retirement age rises since the reduction is based on the number of months prior to full retirement age that benefits are started. (source ssa.gov)

There has not been a recent increase in the FICA tax rate but the cap on salary subject to FICA has been indexed to the Social Security COLA adjustment.

Medicare has required copays since the mid 1970s.

Given your lack of knowledge regarding SS and Medicare reform, I find your critisism of Bush’s proposals less than compelling.

The Republicans presented logical arguments about the increased costs of health care and how it would grow government and ultimately undermine the doctor/patient relationship. The Democrats, unable to deal objectively with issues that they approach from an emotional perspective, took this as being insensitive to those in need of health care. Unable to defend their plan logically, they gave one anecdotal story after another to demonstrate that they cared (which I think is a lie) and which, after the first few stories, caused me to want to shout please, no more stories. Hearing them I wanted to opt for the Chinese water torture.

Neither side (including Obama) really listened to the other. The summit was not really intended to change the minds of the participants (the format precluded anything but speech making) but, as it was the brainchild of the Democrats, must have been meant to convey some message to the public that would place the Democrats in a better light then the Republicans. My view is that the result was just the opposite. The Democrats nonetheless still patted themselves on the back for being caring and hating the Republicans for being analytical and cold. The Republicans, forced kicking and screaming to the summit, were at last able to present their health care proposals in a public forum and sidestep the MSM with the fact that, surprise, they did have their own plan and had sent a copy to the White House several weeks prior to the summit.

Score a big victory for the Republicans.

You may have overreacted. In south California “Dude” is a refined form of address, as in “Hey Dude can you pass the scalpel so I can complete this coronary bypass.”

http://tinyurl.com/ybotnwl

Check it out check it out check it out!!

What liberal out there can bring up a SUBSTANTIVE argument that a Democrat raised?

Anecdotes does nothing to talk about the 2733 page bill.

Representative Slaughter raised a point about a sister using her dead sister’s used dentures. What denture provisions are in the 2733 page monstrosity?

Obama talked about an anecdote dealing with a rear end auto collision. What provision in the 2733 page bill deals with auto collisions?

At this point – I can only say a liberal has to be dishonest to the core and mentally ill. Yes you !

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2010/02/26/wapo-page-one-professor-obama-schools-undisciplined-pupils-gop

Health care is mentioned at the end of this video… had me chuckling a few times. 🙂