So what are you willing to cut?

To the editor:

I am writing to respond to the frequent claim made by conservative Republicans that Democrats in Congress and in the liberal part of the news media support “reckless spending” by the federal government on programs that help people.

I want conservatives to tell the country which ones they want to cut and reduce spending on. So which ones do they want to cut? It certainly can’t be military and defense spending. It has to be Social Security, because the federal government spends 24 percent of all that it spends on Social Security alone. That’s what they want to cut.

What other programs are the ones where they imagine that there is much reckless spending? Medicare. Medicaid. Food stamps. College student loans. Unemployment insurance benefits.

Of course they are not talking about doing something about how Medicare and Medicaid are defrauded by tens of billions of dollars by those in the health care/medical fields. They are not talking about reducing spending on these programs by lowering the exorbitant costs of prescription drugs and medications.

Oh no, that would be taking away the precious “Constitutional right” of the pharmaceutical industry to make obscene and immoral profits off people’s illnesses and disease, and their resultant misery and suffering.

Their “Constitutional right” to total individual liberty and freedom to rip off and exploit the American people must be protected by the conservative Republicans.

Simply put, when they talk about cutting and reducing “reckless spending,” they are talking about wanting to cut Social Security retirement benefits, not only of future retirees, but of current retirees as well.

“Movement conservative” Paul Ryan suggests a cut of 23 to 25 percent (notice that he has, for several years now already, selected the amount of the cuts that he dreams of and yearns for). When conservative Republicans talk about “saving” and “reforming” Social Security, other conservative Republicans know all too well that these are simple code words and buzz words that really mean cutting and then eventually abolishing and eliminating Social Security in its entirety.

Among others, the Koch brothers encourage conservative Republicans to use such sneaky “stealth” tactics on the American people.

So this is what you were talking about when you say that you stand for “compassionate conservatism.” We are all deeply touched. You are all heart.

Stewart Epstein