http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44569531/ns/politics/

“How big is the hole left by the prescription program? Over the next 75 years, its $7.5 trillion “unfunded obligation” exceeds the $6.7 trillion gap attributable to Social Security.”

“Asked last week at the Tea Party debate if they would repeal the prescription program, GOP candidates would hear nothing of it.”

“”I wouldn’t repeal it,” said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.”

“”But when the Republican presidential candidates were asked last week asked if they would repeal the Medicare drug benefit, they said no way. After all, Republicans created it.”

Medicare recipients pay only one-fourth of the cost of the drug benefit. Because there’s no dedicated tax to support the program, the other three-fourths comes from the government’s general fund. That’s the same leaky pot used for defense, law enforcement, education and other priorities. It’s regularly refilled with borrowed dollars that balloon the deficit.”

Now a reasonable person might ask why these people wouldn’t want to cut something with a bigger deficit than Social Security allegedly has.  The reason is simple – it is a cash cow for the prescription drug companies for whom Bachmann is so concerned.  SS goes to poorer people most of whom have contributed toward the cost.  For some reason Conservatives believe that needs to be cut in the interest of fiscal responsibility.  What does this say about the intellectual honesty of those who so believe?

Arf

(The Conservative dream – perpetual war draining resources so as to shift money to mega-corporations while making social services impossible.  We are there.)