New Medicare Numbers Were Known for Months

[kskiska]

Saturday, January 31, 2004; Page A01

Bush administration officials had indications for months that the new Medicare prescription drug law might cost considerably more than the $400 billion advertised by the White House and Congress, according to internal documents and sources familiar with the issue.

The president's top health advisers gathered such evidence and shared it with select lawmakers, congressional and other sources said, long before the White House disclosed Thursday that it believes the program will cost $534 billion over the next decade -- one-third more than the estimate widely used when Congress enacted the measure in November.

The higher forecast, coming less than two months after President Bush signed the landmark bill into law, has fueled conservative criticism of White House spending policies and prompted accusations that the administration deliberately withheld financial information as it pushed the bill through a divided Congress.

(snip)

"There were whispers from the administration long before" Congress acted, said one source who worked on the legislation and, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity. Among a small group of lawmakers who negotiated the bill's final version, "it was an open secret" that administration officials believed "there is no way this is $400 billion," the source said.

The White House's new cost estimate, disclosed Thursday by Budget Director Joshua B. Bolten at a briefing for GOP lawmakers, drew escalating complaints yesterday from some Democrats and conservative Republicans who had opposed the law.

"The question is what did they know and when did they know it?" said Rep. Fortney "Pete" Stark (D-Calif.).

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64627-2004Jan30.html?nav=hptop_tb

[Faygo Kid]

1. What? Bush lied to us?

Next thing you know, we will find out that he planned to go to war all along, and the WMDs were just a manufactured excuse. Oh well, the pharmaceutical industry and HMOs will be rolling in more dough than they ever dreamed possible, while the average taxpayer gets screwed. At least, we will have that. ABB!

[aquart]

2. So they lied to Congress? Again?

Bet this isn't a happy day for Tom Delay's secretary.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. The fact that bush didn't tell the truth is beginning

to give me that cozy feeling, like Christmas or an old pair of shoes.
Something I have come to rely on and expect!

[LiberalFighter]

4. I want to know who those lawmakers were that knew!!!!!!

[underpants]

6. Thompson-~"Many members of Congressional leadership and WH knew"

That is an inexact quote shrunk to fit the subject line.

HHS head Tommy Thompson said (I saw this on Fox/CNN I was flipping) said that many/several members of the Congressional leadership and the White House had the figures in front of them a while ago.

Gee guess who controls both sides of the Hill. Leadership then would include Republicans and they didn't let anyone know, of course if Dems knew they may have just let it go for just this type of thing a real embarassment and political gain.

This fits into their MO perfectly. Just like the Child Tax Credit that got changed in the joint committee and then RUSHED to the floor for a vote, Congress was "told" what the final bill looked like and it wasn't until it was passed that the truth came out. Aside from just that being outrageous I thought that American citizens should be given the chance to read legislation and have time to tell their representative what they thought of it. Maybe I am naive. They also did this with the IWR and at the UN, they used vague language and when asked what they really meant they said one thing and once they got it approved said ~"oh no we meant THIS not that". It's the MO.

[0007]

10. Are you kidding, it was common knowledge, just ask Tom DeLay

Bill Frist, Jeff Sessions, Trent Lott, or Orin Hatch. These guys all knew. After all when ya get a good deal, such as this new medical program there has to be a sacrifice. What's the problem?

[dusty64]

5. More lies!

We have never had a more blatant group of criminals in power before. Something is gonna have to give sooner or later.

[snippy]

7. Someone needs to begin running ads ridiculing Bush for his incessant lying

Ridicule can be a very effective political weapon. The RNC used it constantly against Gore in 2000. Many voters do not follow politics at all. But those voters still can be influenced.

A majority of Americans apparently are not going to be upset that Bush lied to get his war. For whatever reason, Bush seems to be immune to justifiable outrage over those lies. But Bush lies about everything. Since the public is not outraged over his deadliest lies I think humor needs to be used to create the realization in more peoples' minds that Bush lies about everything. An ad campaign designed to make people laugh out loud whenever they hear a reference to Bush's honesty could destroy Bush.

It was a Banner Year for Bush Lies.

The Bush administration did not reveal the identity of a CIA operative but the White House is cooperating with the 9/11 commission since democrats are not good Americans just as the Jews were not good Germans and government spending went down if you do not count the increased government spending but the boxes were labeled "Made in USA" even though the $400 billion decorative turkey was not labeled as $525 billion and Bush's plane to Baghdad was spotted because before Saddam bought the uranium Bush had no plans on his desk to invade Iraq since the aircraft carrier was too far offshore for the Navy to make a large enough banner to describe the WMD we have found in Iraq some of which could hit the US and some of which Saddam was giving to Osama for following Saddam's plans and using Iraqi hijackers on 9/11 but everyone got a tax cut which allowed Iraqi oil revenue to pay for the cost of the reconstruction of Iraq after the invasion by a small number of troops who would be greeted with flowers because Bush thought that the intelligence briefing warning of the 9/11 attacks was a background briefing and that is why Laura dropped the dog.

There is no subject so shallow, serious, or somber that Bush will not lie about it. The only other option is not to lie. And that Bush can not do.

Ridiculing Bush over his incessant lying needs to become commonplace.

[DiverDave]

8. Another reason

to send them packing!

Where any laws broken?
We need to compile all the laws that were broken.
Gotta have the list for the indictments in December.
They have blundered big time, they think people don't care.
The impact IS being felt, more people are voting.


Send the bastards to JAIL!!

[leftchick]

9. I count 10 LIES on the 1st LBN page alone....

these prevaricators are out of control... :grr: