Dick Durbin: “I congratulate you on your choice of words. Those who oppose an amendment involving Medicare use words such as…”

“I congratulate you on your choice of words. Those who oppose an amendment involving Medicare use words such as ``top-down,'' ``command- and-control,'' conjuring images of commissars, Bolshevik 7-year, 10- year plans--this kind of mighty hand of government pressing down on the poor, the poor peasant, the poor American citizen. The sad reality is, the seniors of America don't agree with you. They like Medicare. They even like it in Pennsylvania. Do you know what we find when we say to seniors: ``We give you a choice. You don't have to stay in Medicare. You can go to a private HMO''? Eighty-nine percent of them stay in Medicare--the ``top-down, command-and-control'' system. Now, why do they stay there?”