The New York Times over the weekend featured this gem:
The Democratic Party wants to spend more than we can afford; the Republican Party tends to want to cut taxes more than we can afford. So we are stuck.
…uttered by Senator Bayh (D-IN)
The article surrounding that observation also notes:
The main driver of long-term deficits is the chasm between the benefit programs Medicare and Medicaid, which are growing faster than the economy, and federal tax collections, which are at one of their lowest levels in many decades relative to the size of the economy.
They also probably should have noted Social Security as playing a role in that gap over the long-term, but otherwise the statement seems reasonable.
I suppose that is one of the hidden upsides in the health reform plans currently proposed – by federal fiat, increases benefits paid by Medicare and Medicaid are to be slowed. That assumes, of course, that those non-increases occur. Considering how difficult it is to find doctors in certain fields who are willing to accept Medicare… I’m not sure I entirely believe that those effective reductions will materialize.
