The Gipper On Socialized Medicine Part I

[juxtn]

This is so very interesting that Reagan made this recording in 1961 to discourage support for Medicare for the elderly that finally passed in 1965. Then in 1988, President Reagan tried to pass "100-360, Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act" that would have greatly expanded the benefits of Medicaid/ Medicare including paying for seniors' drugs and this was to be funded by additional medicare taxes, progressive to income even! Gee Whiz! Ron must of had a change of heart about government healthcare!

[drummer703]

RI.P. Ronald Reagan. You were the best president we've had.

[cajayson8301]

he may have made some unpopular decisions>>> Not only unpopular but illegal and impeachable (re: Iran-Contra)

he still believed in the Free Enterprise system!!!>>> He believed in making the rich richer and the poor poorer. How else to explain his tax cuts, to the wealthy, and unemployment and homeless rates rising while he was POTUS?

[JoeNietzsche]

It is amusing how conservatives and would-be free market adherents habitually overlook the anti-democratic nature of unpopular decisions and defend totalitarian institutions such as corporations all while thinking they are trumpeting the virtues of democracy and freedom, respectively. Not that liberals are much better but at least their self deception lies in omission rather than both that and outright fabrication.

[cajayson8301]

Well, I am a Democrat and have been registered with the party for about five years and I will admit they are not perfect...but they certainly understand issues much better than the braindead neocons.

BTW, THANK YOU for responding maturely. As you can see, the one I responded to does not have a mature bone in her body. Debates always start with messages like yours-being respectful and polite.

[kamajiboy]

no free health care to illegal immigrants

[GLHat]

I'd be more trusting of a seasoned citizen's opinion or experience of socialized health care, rather than believe some meaningless anecdotes from a bunch of twenty-something potheads.

[martini1179]

And just when I thought I couldn't like Reagan any less.

[vulnerabledonkey]

Regean sounds great, but he was a bit of a 'tard. He and Thatcher took huge steps to stop the development of democracy. Bloody clever in doing it. Now everyone's convinced that democracy is perfected and that there's no way to better it. Of course this isn't true, but the damage is done. Democratic progress has been stopped.

[Raykak]

You're right, he was a retard and you can't even spell his name right, when it's all over this page.

[assclown78]

I heard the Scandinavian nations were dying in the streets and dirt poor because of their socialized medicine.

Give me a f@cking break. Reagan was taking all of you idiots for your money. Here's a Reagan fact for you. During his stint as President, Reagan outspent every administration prior to his.....COMBINED! So much for "small government". The dream of what he was is a credit to his acting prowess and the gullibility of a deep fried public. F$cking tards.

[pcurley28]

AssClown (couldn't have picked a better name for you myself), socialized medicine has and always will result in higher taxes and poor quality health care, PERIOD. Don't beleive me, ask the people in England, France, and Canada.

As far as Reagan's spending is concerned, he was buying weapons for this little known thing called the "Cold War". You know, that potentially MASSIVE WORLD WAR Reagan managed to avert without firing a single shot.

You are an embarrassment to your family and country.

[rhythmandstealth]

Well I'm from England and I find the healthcare I recieve to be very high quality indeed, so you seem to be talking out of your arse.

[JoeNietzsche]

Yep. I'm Canadian and while there are problems here, its well known that its because pro-business politicians are intentionally under-funding it in favour of corporate tax breaks and to weaken it in order to assist US medical insurance corporations in breaking open a new market. Despite all this, however, it is still far preferable to the US system. Additionally, when I was injured in London, England, I found the health care system there to be excellent. Fast, and efficient.

[MyFreedomChannel]

Yeah, of course you'd say that about the socialized medicine ... as long as you don't have to have any additional MRI's CAT scans, or major surgery to save your life. That's the main thing wrong with socialized medicine - anyone with deadly illnesses such as brain tumors or blocked intestines, have to wait six months to get treatment .. by then their dead!! Great system England and Canada has .... I don't want it in my country - USA.

[Sash5034]

yes because god forbid we give everyone free healthcare....fucking tools

[cajayson8301]

Reagan and Bush Jr. are the worst presidnets we have ever had.

[MyFreedomChannel]

You must have been brainwashed by your "dumbed-down" parents. Because if you claim to be 25 yrs old, you weren't even born until Reagan's second administration. Reagan may have had his flaws, and yes, he may have made some unpopular decisions, but he still believed in the Free Enterprise system!!!

[cajayson8301]

You must have been brainwashed by your "dumbed-down" parents.>>> Not at all. I researched Reagan and he was nothing more than an idiot and all he did, for eight years in The White House, was do what he did best-ACT like a politician, not BE one!

Because if you claim to be 25 yrs old, you weren't even born until Reagan's second administration.>>> Do the math right. I was born in 83, per my name. That means I was born in the middle of his first term

[Salsa23PR]

Reagan is nothing more than a compulsive liar, a millionaire who lived an unhappy and bitter life. It makes sense then that he later caught a disease ultimately ate his brain.

[blujesus]

reagans arguments here are hypocritical:

1-social security was never meant to take the place of private or union plans

Reagan then when he became president did his best to BUST the unions and RAID social security funds. not to mention raising the national debt to its highest level yet seen.

also- his SOCIALIZED military spent hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars enriching corporations like GE, boeing, lockheed martin, etc.

why is socialized medicine bad, but socialized military good?

[awhitenton]

Funny that the people that say they hate the government the MOST want the MOST GOVERNMENT! Crazy, huh?

[hairhorn]

how come no one complains about socialized roads and socialized policing and socialized firefighting?

[brianpadraic]

Or libraries and the post office, too! What about public university? I'm glad TGAH is talking about this.

[cecilbdml]

Where have YOU been?! Firefighting has been moving to a local, VOLUNTEER function, to take out the unionism and fraud, and allow for better equipment without going through the 'good ole boy' government pork system.

As far as ROADS, you ever notice that it takes a PRIVATE company, using LESS money than government employees use, to get a repair job done FASTER? (Cal's hiway exchange system after the last quake).

Don't say we love and are adopting socialism.

[hairhorn]

meh.... I don't think "run by the government" equal "socialist".

[Elasaltaculos]

it does practically mean that. Under socialism, you are compelled to pay very high tax rates for handouts from the government. When I lived in Norway for instance, my mother held a minimum wage job for a while and paid 42% in taxes. Taxes would be a lot higher for people with higher income.

[Elasaltaculos]

Because those are services that an individual cannot provide by himself. It is like defense and lighthouses. Look into "the free rider problem" in economics.

To adopt socialized service that could be provided by the private sector cheaper, faster, better is stupid. Giving away your freedoms to the government so that you can depend on them is idiotic.

Anyone who thinks that their government can spend their money better than they can is a moron.

[hairhorn]

except health care isn't cheaper in the US.... Americans spend more per capita on health care than countries with universal coverage.

[Elasaltaculos]

Well paying 200 in medical insurance every month beats paying 10 or 20 % more of your total income for some shots.

Medical malpractice insurance, unscrupulous lawsuits, class action suits, insurance fraud, etc. accounts for more increases in healthcare costs.

[edchuckndoug]

unitl they deny your cancer medicine that cost $2000 that they paid for last month, wonderful wonderful medicine for profit, never get better if its for profit

[Nightstalker1968]

@edchuckndoug 2011-obamacare laws went into effect on generic drugs to limit cost. many generic cancer drugs became impossible to produce & make any profit.solution is easy they all stopped making them.remaining stock of the drugs was bought up by resellers out of US.hospitals here are buying up the very last of it now at outrageous cost. wont matter once obamacare takes full effect cancer will get death counseling

[Nightstalker1968]

@edchuckndoug theres nothing wrong w making profit. thats why americans have the highest standard of living in the entire world & the very best medical technology, why else would they spend billions of their own $ to find and spend yrs to research these lifesaving drugs because when they do get lucky and one drug out of thouands they work on succeeds they can hold a patent for up to 11 yrs to make their lost money back.

[jscottupton]

That quote by Norman Thomas is so telling...the word "liberal" has been totally perverted. A contemporary liberal now believes in big government and restrictions on economic liberty. Reagan was not perfect, but he was better than most.

[xpandergt]

a corporate puppet? You want that "free"health care so much don't you Don? Pay for your own health care you wanna be freeloading social porogram supporting bum.

[bkalafut]

lmao! You're cute, calling perhaps the most literate president since Teddy Roosevelt a "puppet".

[hairhorn]

literate? Ronald Reagan??? OMG

[DonRyan]

Yeah, you could learn what a corporate puppet Ronald Reagan is.