Feds can always afford it

To the editor:

I just had to weigh in on the cry for Medicaid expansion, if the Frontiersman will be so kind as to allow an evil and proud conservative to join.

When Medicare was established in the mid-1960s, it was projected to cost $1 billion by 1990. It cost $10 billion – only a tenfold error – must have been an accounting error, always is. When the fed comes up with these grand plans where they pay the greater percentage and states the lesser, it’s always accompanied with a sliding scale where the states gradually take over the larger percentage until 100 percent, which is fine, if they can afford it.

Problem is, the fed can always afford it. It just prints more money and increases the debt. States don’t have that option, so what do they do? Increase taxes or reduce or eliminate the program or other programs.

That’s no problem, though. We simply fulfill that old, worn out adage, “kick the can down the road.” We’ll be gone. Let the kids and grandkids figure it out!

To deflect some rebuttals: Do I receive Medicare? Yep, I’ve paid into it since its inception. Do I receive VA benefits? Yep, and I gave four years of my life to earn them.

Do I receive Social Security benefits? Yep, and I’ve paid into it since 1965 when I was in high school. Except for a small number of those years, I’ve been self-employed, meaning I paid the full amount with no employer match.

Do I detect a certain amount of shortsightedness and greed lurking out there? I have to say, “Yep.” But that’s OK, the kids and grandkids can handle the problem. Just kick the can, and thrive in your own luxury while you can.

Duane Congdon

Palmer