You might never know how Bush plans to increase Medicare spending if you were to read your newspaper. The NY Times headline - Bush's $2.77 Trillion Budget Plan Calls for Medicare Cuts - simultaneously seeming to chide Bush for spending too much and too little. But if I hadn't looked for actual numbers, I might guess from that Medicare might actually by cut. Silly me.
It didn't take much time with Google News to find the truth, from a UPI analysis itself titled Bush budget cuts Medicare, more:
Leavitt said the cuts would serve to slow Medicare's long-term growth from a rate of 8.1 percent per year to 7.7 percent per year. He said the slowing was key to sustain the program as millions of baby boomers reach retirement.
7.7 % per annum growth? If a large corporation were to expand revenues like that you would say it is growing nicely. Certainly well beyond the rate of inflation.
I'll be looking for some newspaper, any major paper, to point out in its news coverage, that Medicare spending is growing rapidly and will continue to do so under the Bush plan. You can decide for yourself the nature of news reporting in the US - biased or just poorly informed?
h/t to Mr. Green for pointing out the Times headline.
Posted by Walter at February 6, 2006 06:30 PMYou know, I'm pissed at Bush because spending is still growing outrageously. I'm even more pissed, though, at the media and the people who are painting these kinds of increases as spending cuts.
What the hell is a fiscal conservative (who isn't a libertarian) to do?
Posted by: zombyboy at February 6, 2006 08:08 PMIn terms of voting, there's very little you can do.
On the other hand, you could always start a blog and influence millions of people.
Seriously, this will be a good topic for a stand alone post. When I get around to it.
Posted by: Walter at February 6, 2006 10:33 PM