Ed Rendell was at it again this morning on CNBC, this time slick talking about Medicare, a program he and his buddy, Pete Peterson, along with other vampires, want to rape.
While the GOP says get rid of it all together, Rendell and some other corporate Dum Dems think it would be nifty to raise the eligibility age, which is now 65, to 67.
To make this argument Eddie pronounced that in 1975, when Medicare started, folks lived to 68 and didn't need a lot of years of Medicare, and "now they live into their 80s." Actually, in both cases folks lived into their mid to late 70s.
Eddie knows better, as he is part of a travelling carnival that is pushing for "austerity" cuts to so-called entitlements - really "earned benefits."
Here's a link to some facts on life expectancy: http://www.infoplease.com/...
Look at life expectancy for those who reach 60, since that doesn't count babies who die, guys killed in Vietnam, for the year 1970. Then look at the most recent year reported and you will see a diffrerence of about four years.
We aren't living today 15 or 20 years longer than 1975 at retirement, just four years.
Eddie, of course, must like the prospect of 66 and 67-year-old cancer and heart attack victims out in the open market, trying to buy healthcare from a "benevolent" private insurer. They can just get it with the average $1,400 Social Security monthly check. No, that won't work, because Rendell wants to raise the regular retirement age even higher than the soon-to-be level of 67. Guy loves misery - yours.
Politicians, meanwhile, have healthcare paid by us for life, so they don't worry about Medicare rules. Same story for the rich, the truly entitled.
The only positive reminder from seeing the tricky one this morning is that he's no longer the "democratic" governor of my state.