Journalistic Malpractice: AP's Medicare Bill Story

It's a great day when the House of Representatives passes legislation which would allow the government to negotiate for cheaper prescription drugs for Medicare recipients.  But with the stroke of a pen, Bush will overrule and nullify the will of congress and the public, and the &%$#@!* corporate press is running interference for him.

WASHINGTON — Defying a veto threat, the House approved legislation Friday directing the government to negotiate with drug companies in an effort to lower prices for Medicare recipients.

Democrats, winding up an opening-week legislative rush after taking control of Congress, said the measure would help the nation's seniors.

The Bush administration called it an unwise government intrusion in a system that is already working well.

Government intrusion into Medicare.  

I can't take it.  It isn't funny.  I don't have the snark-chi to deal with it.  It doesn't amuse me to point out the absurdity or what it says about the intelligence of people who voted for these... what are they?  Disingenuous?  Insulting?  I can't find a noun.  Give me nouns.

It just really pisses me off to read this shit in the paper and realize that it made it past a reporter and a series of editors and we're supposed to accept that, apparently, unbiased means unquestioning, uncritical, feckless.  "Hi, I got my BA in journalism, so now I get to write a bunch of stuff on a steno pad!  Woot!  Lunch time!"

The legislation underscored one of the more profound differences between the political parties — the Republicans' faith in the ability of the markets to best serve consumers and the Democrats' belief that government can sometimes do better.

That's right, the Republicans have so much faith in markets, they passed a law to have the government spend half a trillion dollars on a government program.  It is just not fun to point out such blatantly obvious contradictions.

"If passed," countered Ron Lewis, R-Ky., "this bill would allow the federal government to get into the medicine cabinets of millions of Medicare beneficiaries across the country."

I just have no comment on that.  It is soul-killing even to have to read these things outside of the Onion.

•  You missed the point!-

  The Free Market is all about negotiating openly about setting prices.
  The Repubs passed a bill that BLOCKED Medicaid from negotiating over prices.
  Now they are accusing the Dems of interfering with the free market... by allowing Medicaid to negotiate in... the free market!

  by jeremybloom on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 02:28:57 PM PDT

  •  No, I didn't miss it.

    That is the point.

    The other point is how frustrating it is to have to point out such obvious crap.

    by Jeff Simpson on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 02:31:46 PM PDT

    •  i agree you made that point jeff

      and the snark-chi term is wonderful!  I wish I knew where to tell you to go or what to do to recharge it... it is a major defensive system.

      by zedaker on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 05:27:10 PM PDT

•  Nouns? How About A Few Adjectives?

  I like "mendacious" and some of its synonyms such as deceitful, deceptive, duplicitous, equivocating, erroneous, fallacious, false, fibbing, fraudulent, insincere, knavish, lying, paltering, perfidious, perjured, prevaricating, shifty, spurious, untrue, untruthful, wrong.

  Of course you've guessed by now that my favorite noun for them is "liar" - one who tells lies.

  by majcmb1 on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 02:48:41 PM PDT

•  Excellent diary

  With Iraq getting so much attention, things like this fall through the cracks.  Good for you for bringing it to the fore.  Memo to Americans:  It's not just old people get shafted by the Medicare Part D program, it's all of us:  Who do you think is footing the bill???  (Answer:  Taxpayers)

  by moggie12 on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 03:07:47 PM PDT

•  Totally unrelated to your diary...

  but could you send me an e-mail?  I'd like to e-mail you about Venezuela.

  [e-mail]

  Thanks.

  PS I wish there were a way to send messages to other users in Daily Kos.

  by Thom K in LA on Mon Jan 22, 2007 at 06:18:32 PM PDT