Speaker Ryan Is Gonna Trash Medicare. Is He Serious?

Medicare, perhaps the nation's most revered social program, may actually be on the chopping block next year.  In the wake of the election, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Ayn Rand) vowed to wave his magic mallet, releasing just enough pixie dust to make Medicare go poof!

President-elect Donald Trump, seems to be on board with this, although he hasn't yet made any official statements.  Maybe he's still searching for the Kool-Aid that Mr. Speaker had drunken, lamenting aloud,  "How come I didn't get any?"  

It should be noted that during the campaign, The Donald insisted that he wouldn't disturb Medicare, Social Security, or many of the other social programs vital to our survival and well-being as a nation.  Yet he has chosen Congressman Tom Price, one of Speaker Ryan's staunchest allies, as Secretary of Health and Human Services --- a Fellow Preacher of the Gospel of Selfishness as a Public Virtue.

So much for His Royal Orangeness's campaign promises!  As someone who relentlessly insisted that he was an "outsider," he's gone to great lengths to diamond-stud his cabinet with uber-wealthy, corporate insiders.  Consider Betsy DeVos, Trump's choice for Education Secretary, a relentless crusader hell-bent on dismantling public education and disempowering teachers.  She and her husband gave the Trump campaign $9,000,000!  Pay to Play at its ultimate reekiness!

Congressman Ryan and his allies have made a point of declaring that all who are 55 and older will retain their full Social Security benefits, in the event that they're actually empowered to fulfill their wildest wet-dream.   But hey, those older folks have kids and grand-kids, who'd be among those thrown under the bus.   I'd like to believe that many of them would be more than a tad concerned about their progeny.

Perhaps a few congressional Republicans might be sane enough to realize that many of those they represent would be seriously affected by the denial of these benefits.  In any event,  I'm thoroughly convinced that The Donald's gilded veneer is going to wear thin very quickly.  Many of the folks who cast their ballots for him out of desperation and frustration will realize just how severely they got "Trumped."

The burning question is:  Where will they go?  Those of us with humane values have a lotta work to do.  It's gonna be a long slog!