Seniors hurt selves by voting for GOP

Daniel Olivier, Bullhead City, Ariz.

Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 | 2 a.m.

The book “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” questioned, among other things, the propensity of the people of that state to vote against their own interests. However, that book could describe a good portion of the people in the rest of the country.

For instance, I seethe with anger and recoil with disbelief when I read or hear that senior citizens are supporting and intend to vote Republican in overwhelming numbers. I say to myself, “Don’t these fools know they are voting to be starved and thrown in the street without medical care?” Don’t they read the papers or watch anything but “The Price is Right” or Andy Griffith on TV? Haven’t they heard of the Ryan budget, which would decimate Medicare and practically defund Medicaid (which pays for seniors’ nursing home care) and privatize Social Security?

All of these ideas are not new, as GOP politicians have been braying their desire to institute them ever since these programs became law and have especially intensified their efforts and rhetoric recently. Of course, they promise that it won’t affect today’s retirees. Anybody who believes that, I have a seaside property in Kansas I will sell them.

Even if they do honor this promise (very unlikely), future seniors will suffer terribly from the Romney/Ryan plan on these programs. The really sad part of all of this is that as Social Security and Medicare are not causing the deficit, there will be no deficit reduction.