[1 Thump]

Not all illegals are getting paid under the table. Many have SSI #'s registered to someone else and are paying into that account. The gov knows but does nothing to disrupt the stream of tax dollars paid into that account. These people are paying into something they will never collect on and the person who's account it is is either dead or is a knowing or unknowing participant.

By the way poor people get Medicaid. Ryan's plan doesn't take away benefits for people collecting SSI now but discontinues the plan for those to collect Medicare in the future with a payment towards an insurance plan of your choice. This makes total sense since the government wastes so much money on false claims, inflated billing and unneeded prcedures, prescriptions and operations. A private HMO can provide the needed care in a more efficient way. The government has no options but shrink itself and get itself out of everyone's business.

You call Ryan stupid for being brave or just plain stupid? Well I see it as you would have to be stupid not to embrace a plan like his or something similar. We don't have time to kick this around, something has to be done now. Walk the walk because the talk is costing us trillions. To keep up this rate of spending and borrowing we will dig ourselves a hole all the way to China. No I mean we will be in the hole with China.

Kevin is correct about entitlements. How come so many people think they're entitled to so much? Is everyone blind? The gravy train can't go on forever. This is real life not fiction. Wake up people, snap out of it. I will probably work the rest of my life to pay for that dreamy boat trip that many took on "The Good Ship Lollipop"! If you don't cut spending and entitlements you will be reaching deep in your pockets to pay the taxes needed to support our government's insanity. Socialism is expensive! Keep going in the same direction and someday soon you will take home 5-10% of what you make and have the gov supply you with everything else to eke out your existence.

Ryans plan is going to allow seniors to get vouchers. No private insurance is going to provide affordable coverage to a 70 year old with multiple medical issues and medications.

Govt. does waste a lot of money on lots of things including wars and bailouts as well. But somehow its OK to stick it to one constituent and not the other.

What entitlements? You (hopefully) and I have paid our dues (SS tax, FICA.etc etc.) If I want to collect on that payment that I have made to secure my future, how is that entitlement. Its my money, not the governments. 

I agree we can not borrow and spend our way into oblivion.....but there has to be some equity, some basic fairness is where and how to make cuts, including asking teh corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. Ask GE how much taxes they paid this year. Those loopholes need to be closed, then talk about lowering taxes.

Stupid: Yes, it was a stupid political move. See what happened in NY ?

[GreenMachine]

i read that same story and think i saw on the news about GE didn't paid anything and it was legitimate...The capitol gang and the media whores keep throwing around that buzz word "entitlements"..To be frank, just about everything you've paid into that is for securing or piece mealing some kind of future falls under the scope of entitlement...If you have a full or partial pension as part of your retirement plans that falls into a entitlement package....if you have or had a 401k plan (Private ) that fall into a quasi entitlement program , If you retired from the services that's a entitlement . If you collect SSI or plan to thats a entitlement. If you work period  that's a entitlement ( u just don't realize it) . Just being allowed on this board is a entitlement. Its reminds me of a case of upper managements response to the rank n file who were mandatorily changed over to a new promotion pay criteria (no union ), Many opposed it at first and said it was reinventing the wheel and a excuse to make it look like someone doing something upstairs. After a few years, many of these employees actually excelled and did favorably under the recent changes in the ranking and performance rating...About 5 years into the new initiative, the recession started to hit the industry, a dictate from above suddenly appeared in cube city that management had been to lenient in employees compensation and a  new directive was forthcoming.. Sound familiar doesn't it, the double talk that fall from the tree..IMO we have been led to believed that its your fault and mine  and everyone Else's fault that the financial situation is the way it is.  The classic old switch a roo, point the finger at the accusers, kill the messenger , whatever u want to call it) . Yes We heard the same nonsense day in and day out for the past 15 years or longer out of Washington .But the machine continues its drumbeat and it will eat its old and young as it seems fit..Oh the Democrat won in New York, so I guess were out of the woods and the all clear has sounded

[Blltrdr]

Ryans plan is going to allow seniors to get vouchers. No private insurance is going to provide affordable coverage to a 70 year old with multiple medical issues and medications.

Govt. does waste a lot of money on lots of things including wars and bailouts as well. But somehow its OK to stick it to one constituent and not the other.

What entitlements? You (hopefully) and I have paid our dues (SS tax, FICA.etc etc.) If I want to collect on that payment that I have made to secure my future, how is that entitlement. Its my money, not the governments.  

I agree we can not borrow and spend our way into oblivion.....but there has to be some equity, some basic fairness is where and how to make cuts, including asking teh corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. Ask GE how much taxes they paid this year. Those loopholes need to be closed, then talk about lowering taxes.

Stupid: Yes, it was a stupid political move. See what happened in NY ?

This voucher system doesn't start immediately and won't effect those already in the system. The plan also calls for medical insurance reform with guidelines to make it possible for everyone to purchase health insurance. If you think we can revamp the current system to handle the needs of the baby boomer generation and beyond then you must be smoking crack. I've known for years that the course we're headed on is doomed for failure. I pay into my SSI and Medicare account expecting nothing when the time comes to collect. The politicians sit on the fence with the picket's up there asses waiting for divine intervention to make everything right. You seem to think all is well and someone has a plan to keep everything going the same way it has for years. If that's the case I have to disagree. How can so many people think we can keep on going like we are?

As far as entitlements senior citizens are the worst offenders. I know they worked hard all there lives but this attitude that they deserve this, that and everything else and more and still are never happy with what they get is puzzling. Something like 80% of seniors have $5k in savings when they reach retirement age. Well with that big nest egg socked away they immediately seek out reductions on everything. They soon find out from all there buddies who saved big too all the ways to get by on someone else's hard earned buck. Is this their fault? Partially. The government got into the coddling business and has taken it into the stratosphere with entitlements and agencies to help these big savers. How will the smaller generations deal with the abuses of the silent/boomer generations expectation,needs and wants? We need action, a real plan for our future. Maybe the reality is there is no plan that will work. Maybe we have made such a mess of things that to keep grinding it in to the ground is the only solution. Crash and burn and see what rises out of the ashes. Well I can tell you it won't be anything groovy man. Just keep drinking the Kool-Aid their handing you and everything will be peachy. Look what happened in New York you say. I say lots of Kool-Aid drinkers in NY.

Hey lets see if we can make it so hard on companies to compete that they all decide to operate elsewhere. We decide we were to smart to keep on being the industrial giant we once were and set our sights to become a technological giant and somewhere along the way we forgot one important thing. Education! How do you expect to be the top dog when you have a second rate education system in place.

We have an uphill battle to keep our freedoms and way of life. Sacrifice will be costly to most but will be essential to keeping the dream alive. I say cut the fat and put the money and resources into education. At least you will give this county a fighting chance. Do we really want to keep outsourcing intellect. Pathetic!  

[Drifter]

5k is not a big nest egg by any stretch of the imagination, a broken arm can cost that to fix. Besides i have No problem with old people getting benefits or the 55 and younger people that are going to get theirs either. 

Screwing the old and poor to give the rich another tax break is no way for a country to run!!  Let the rich bastards pay there share before taking away from the old people that might have 5k.....like i said before the 2012 election will prove what most normal people think!!!

[GreenMachine]

5k is not a big nest egg by any stretch of the imagination..If fhat's all u have saved..your hosed and nothing us or Obama or God himself can do to even what your perception of a level playing field...Hate to tell ya but any doctor worth his salt will tell ya that  hotdogs and beans on a 60 years old intestine will get pretty rough .......anyone who legitimately paid into whatever ponsi scheme over the past 20-30 years will get what was  promised them..That was the house rules...You know what happens when someone  welches!...

[Blltrdr]

o.......anyone who legitimately paid into whatever ponsi scheme over the past 20-30 years will get what was  promised them..That was the house rules...You know what happens when someone  welches!...

Anarchy comes to mind. Off with their heads!

[jjoe256]

Anarchy comes to mind. Off with their heads!

At least they'll have cake (us). But don't worry, they live in gated communities with Blackwater protection.

But, on a lighter note, here's more analysis from a non-partisan source. Scroll down to individual issue you may, or may not, be interested in:

http://www.cbpp.org/research/index.cfm?fa=topic&id=29

This one is particularly good:

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3452

There are many that love the end result of Ryan's Plan, so if you're  like Dick Cheney

   http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/152736/20110526/cheney-ryan-medicare.htm

[GreenMachine]

joe" actually enjoyed that...funny how tomney wants more draconian measures in place  and the article underneath talks about the  bush tax cuts that are in place and  acknowledges the glut of the deficit ws due to two war expenditure in Afghanistan and Iraq (as if that's a surprise after 8 years of a rebuild in progress).  On the same   page they mention that the tomney recommendation paralleled Ryan's ideas in so much as they wish to reduce the deficit through primarily nondefense related items such as  health services, cancer research, FBI (that surprise me a bit), etc,...I don't think your  Buddy in the WH is up to the  mantra that he said to the people that elected him...I  actually see  defense related expenditure actually increasing (high tech is expensive)  and negating and potential savings if this scenario played out regardless (kinda like everyone drives a hybrid but gas is 10 bucks a gallon, so u back where u started 5 years before as a  consumer).. You always have to fudge and expect  other snafu that the future presents us as its not if but when....You know these wrath of god events of flooding and  tornadoes has to be up there too in cost ..I hope we haven;t lost our edge  on getting our people the quality of care they deserve in times like those....On a positive note have a great memorial day weekend. Its a good time to reflect on our brothers in uniform...

[jjoe256]

GM,
   Obama is not my buddy by any means and I support and honor those who have served or fallen as best I can, like IAVA and IVAW. It's just sad the way this country forgets the detritus of the wars they so glibly wage.

[GreenMachine]

yeah guess i was being sarcastic but to be honest he doesn't seem to be following through on his main theme that he used to get elected...funny how things change when u have the power and grandeur,,, i hope our fallen and wounded warriors are not forgotten...but then again time marches on and waits for no man...History is not kind to that thought is it...