Political Quotes

“I was listening to my friend on the other side earlier, and the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Health indicated that those of us who oppose this bill wanted to do nothing. Well, that is so far from the truth. We had an alternative; we just were not allowed to present it. Our alternative would have provided a prescription drug benefit that was a part of traditional Medicare, easily administered, easily understood, a program that seniors could trust just as they trust Medicare today; and it would have happened, but for the other side who just are so into privatization and, quite frankly, many of them do not believe in Medicare and consider it socialized medicine. It has even been referred to by some Members on the other side as a Soviet-style health care system. Well, I think most seniors in this country feel pretty comfortable with it, confident in it. They think it is a good program, and there is just simply no reason why we could not add a prescription drug benefit. One of my fears regarding what has happened here is that I do believe that this is an attempt on the part of the Republican Party to begin the full privatization of Medicare, so that in the years to come, Medicare will no longer be a guaranteed benefit with a guaranteed premium, but seniors will be forced to face the private sector and all that that involves. I think this is a very clear-cut choice. I do believe that this is going to be a big issue this November.”