“Billion” is the new “Million”
I was listening to the Nice Polite Republicans talking about Medicare this morning, and I noticed something funny:
since nothing scares politicians more than angry senior citizens, who are traditionally among the largest bloc of voters in midterm elections, the real issue facing Congress isn’t whether to stop the doctor pay cuts — which are the result of a 1997 Medicare formula gone awry — but how. More specifically, lawmakers must find a way to offset the estimated $245 billion cost over 10 years.
the extended story, which will probably be posted later today, had quotes from Steny Hoyer, Harry Reid, and of course the morons Republicans, all bemoaning Medicare and the tremendous cost of $245,000,000,000 over ten years. And I had a thought:
Back in June, the President estimated that health care reform will cost about $1 trillion dollars. Republicans shrieked (it’s what they do), which was kind of funny because their war in Iraq is going to wind up costing THREE TRILLION DOLLARS.
And I’m supposed to freak out over a measly $245 billion? That’s SO 1972.
“Billion”: it’s the new million.
