FIrst till my boat is in the water, and Krazy Konservatives continue to
post, so will I. You can easily filter any topic that contains (OT)




March 12, 2004
Bush Threatened to Fire Official for Telling Truth


During this time of record deficits, President Bush promised the country
that his drug-industry backed Medicare bill would cost $395 billion.1
But just weeks after he signed the bill into law, his own budget office
admitted that the bill would actually cost well over $500 billion.2 And
today a new report shows that the President knew that the bill cost more
than he had claimed, and yet he deliberately hid the information from
the public until the legislation was already signed into law.

As revealed in an exclusive Knight-Ridder report, the White House
threatened to fire its own top Medicare actuary "if he told lawmakers
about a series of Bush administration cost estimates" that priced the
bill at more than $500 billion.3 At the time, conservative Republicans
had "vowed to vote against the Medicare drug bill if it cost more than
$400 billion." This means that the president deliberately misled members
of his own party on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry that pushed
the bill and has been a top contributor to his campaign.4 As Rep. Sue
Myrick (R-NC) said, "I think a lot of people probably would have
reconsidered" voting for the bill had they not been deliberately misled
by the White House.

At Knight-Ridder's website you can see the full text of the 6/26/03
email that Medicare's top actuary Richard S. Foster sent to colleagues
informing them of the White House threat.5

Sources:

1. "Federal Deficit Hits Record $374B", CBS News, 10/20/2003.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/...in570166.shtml

2. "Medicare drug plan balloons", Washington Times, 01/29/2004.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20...5021-1957r.htm

3. "Bush administration ordered Medicare plan cost estimates
withheld", Knight Ridder, 03/11/2004.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwash...printstory.jsp

4. Open Secrets.Org.

http://www.opensecrets.org/industrie...ps.asp?Ind=H04


5. "E-mail from Richard S. Foster, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services", Knight Ridder, 03/11/2004.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/8170927.htm

I tnink the Meidcare bill sucks and I am eligible in 5 years. But we also
have Kerry promoting a national health bill which is estimated to cost $900
Billion. Both if these clowns suck. The problem for November is which one
sucks more. Neither major party has put up a worth while candidate.
Bill

"Jim" wrote in message
...
FIrst till my boat is in the water, and Krazy Konservatives continue to
post, so will I. You can easily filter any topic that contains (OT)




March 12, 2004
Bush Threatened to Fire Official for Telling Truth


During this time of record deficits, President Bush promised the country
that his drug-industry backed Medicare bill would cost $395 billion.1
But just weeks after he signed the bill into law, his own budget office
admitted that the bill would actually cost well over $500 billion.2 And
today a new report shows that the President knew that the bill cost more
than he had claimed, and yet he deliberately hid the information from
the public until the legislation was already signed into law.

As revealed in an exclusive Knight-Ridder report, the White House
threatened to fire its own top Medicare actuary "if he told lawmakers
about a series of Bush administration cost estimates" that priced the
bill at more than $500 billion.3 At the time, conservative Republicans
had "vowed to vote against the Medicare drug bill if it cost more than
$400 billion." This means that the president deliberately misled members
of his own party on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry that pushed
the bill and has been a top contributor to his campaign.4 As Rep. Sue
Myrick (R-NC) said, "I think a lot of people probably would have
reconsidered" voting for the bill had they not been deliberately misled
by the White House.

At Knight-Ridder's website you can see the full text of the 6/26/03
email that Medicare's top actuary Richard S. Foster sent to colleagues
informing them of the White House threat.5

Sources:

1. "Federal Deficit Hits Record $374B", CBS News, 10/20/2003.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/...in570166.shtml

2. "Medicare drug plan balloons", Washington Times, 01/29/2004.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20...5021-1957r.htm

3. "Bush administration ordered Medicare plan cost estimates
withheld", Knight Ridder, 03/11/2004.


http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwash...printstory.jsp

4. Open Secrets.Org.

http://www.opensecrets.org/industrie...ps.asp?Ind=H04


5. "E-mail from Richard S. Foster, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services", Knight Ridder, 03/11/2004.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/8170927.htm

Calif Bill wrote in message
news:JFO4c.19436$%snip
snip
Both if these clowns suck. The problem for November is which one
sucks more. Neither major party has put up a worth while candidate.
Bill


Now you sound like a Canadian. A lot tend to vote for the least
objectionable party.
I get a kick out of how worked up Americans get defending one party or the
other.
I may be cynical, but don't see where politicians are worth the bother. They
start out rotten, or tend to get corrupted by the party system. I just like
to punish them when they get caught stealing, lying etc.

"Don White" wrote in message
...

Calif Bill wrote in message
news:JFO4c.19436$%snip
snip
Both if these clowns suck. The problem for November is which one
sucks more. Neither major party has put up a worth while candidate.
Bill


Now you sound like a Canadian. A lot tend to vote for the least
objectionable party.
I get a kick out of how worked up Americans get defending one party or the
other.
I may be cynical, but don't see where politicians are worth the bother.
They
start out rotten, or tend to get corrupted by the party system. I just
like
to punish them when they get caught stealing, lying etc.



I am a registered Democrat, and the Dem's have been taken over by
ultra-liberal spenders. Being a Fiscal Conservative, and a social Liberal I
get really PO'ed over the pork barrel spending for votes. We should allow
Civil Unions in California as well as the rest of the country. But the
activists want to call it "marriage" to just upset the rest of the country.
My wife and I have gay friends (we do live in California in the SF Bay
area), and they should have the same legal rights as any other couple. If
one is hospitalized, then the other should have family visitation rights
just like a spouse as well as input on treatment. We have screwed our
children, by forcing them to pay for our lifestyle. That National Debt is
not going to be paid by my generation, of even my kids generation (my kids
generation has helped run up the debt as I am 60). The Republicans have
been taken over by the righty's but not to the extent of the lefty's in the
Democrat party. I would re-register as a Libertarian, but that is throwing
away a lot of my voting power. We need a new national party to give us
moderates control. As the Republicans, tossed the Whigs. As to penalties
for crooked politicians, they should go to jail for 20 years minimum and
lose their assets. Make the penalty extremely harsh. Get the Federal
Government out of education. We did fairly well before the 1960's with no
Federal Department of Education. They no set standards, take the money from
the states and take a 40% management fee, and send the 60% back to the
states. We would have more money to spend on the children, and more say so,
in tossing incompetant teachers and administrators.
Bill

On Calif Bill wrote:

I am a registered Democrat, and the Dem's have been taken over by
ultra-liberal spenders.

Niether party can claim the title of "Conservative" anymore. I couldn't
agree more.

Being a Fiscal Conservative, and a social Liberal I
get really PO'ed over the pork barrel spending for votes. We should allow
Civil Unions in California as well as the rest of the country. But the
activists want to call it "marriage" to just upset the rest of the country.
My wife and I have gay friends (we do live in California in the SF Bay
area), and they should have the same legal rights as any other couple. If
one is hospitalized, then the other should have family visitation rights
just like a spouse as well as input on treatment.

The gay couples we know, I believe to be just as devoted to each other as
I am to my wife. I see no problem with civil unions between them. The word
"marriage" has a different meaning to some, but I see an outboard married
to the transom of a boat. It's just a word. But brings strong emotion to
some.

We have screwed our
children, by forcing them to pay for our lifestyle. That National Debt is
not going to be paid by my generation, of even my kids generation (my kids
generation has helped run up the debt as I am 60). The Republicans have
been taken over by the righty's but not to the extent of the lefty's in the
Democrat party.

I believe both partys have equally swung to the extreem.

I would re-register as a Libertarian, but that is throwing
away a lot of my voting power. We need a new national party to give us
moderates control.

Many don't see Libertarian as moderate either, but I don't disagree with
your statement altogether. I'm just not sure that there is such a beast as
a "moderate" anymore.

As the Republicans, tossed the Whigs. As to penalties
for crooked politicians, they should go to jail for 20 years minimum and
lose their assets. Make the penalty extremely harsh.

I would include crooked CEO's, Union Boss's, State, Federal and Local
represenatives, I know I've not covered them all. But Crooks are Crooks.

Get the Federal
Government out of education. We did fairly well before the 1960's with no
Federal Department of Education. They no set standards, take the money from
the states and take a 40% management fee, and send the 60% back to the
states. We would have more money to spend on the children, and more say so,
in tossing incompetant teachers and administrators.

Local officals seem to listen to the voice of the people more, I agree.

I don't think there's a soul in Congress that doesn't cringe at the
thought of "Public Service", It's not about public service anymore.
We should be able to vote on their salary, we could pay them what their
worth, but,,, there are minimum wage laws after all.

Bill



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" m ~¿ô m " wrote:
Wooops!! Just posted with different box, different news reader. That's all.
--
__________m___~¿Õ____m__________________

On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 19:31:03 +0000, Calif Bill wrote:

As to penalties for crooked politicians, they should go
to jail for 20 years minimum and lose their assets. Make the penalty
extremely harsh.

Mandatory sterilization for *all* politicians might work. In a couple of
generations that defective gene might just disappear. ;-)