By: Brian Sikma
Much ink has been spilled over how Republicans and conservatives have handled Rep. Paul Ryan’s proposal to reform Medicare. No one, not even the most liberal Democrat, believes that Medicare does not face a real problem. The program is spending more than it takes in, and will not last for much longer unless serious reforms are implemented. However, the when, what and how of reform is certainly up for debate.
Unfortunately for the American people, an entire political party has refused to put forward a real plan for reforming Medicare. Similarly unfortunate is the fact that the other major political party is split over the issue. It is true that any time you put forward a specific plan with specific numbers attached to it, you are taking a political risk. That is the nature of politics, and it’s not a particularly bad thing.
What becomes a problem is when an issue becomes so overhyped with apocalyptic rhetoric that reform in any direction is viewed as an attempt to undermine what is good for the American people. Conservatives are facing such a problem now. Liberal Democrats have consistently failed to address the problem of entitlement reform. Whether it was President Bush’s attempt to reform Social Security in 2005, or the present Medicare debate, the standard liberal tactic has been to label any attempt to reform these programs as a direct assault on the future of the American people.
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