Getting Lost in the Hypocrisy.

The American Catholic writes that the Republicans are guilty of hypocrisy by now, in the debate to reform health care, standing against cuts to Medicare.

Despite the collective amnesia of the American people, to the obvious joy of Republican political strategists, historical record on the other hand points out a glaring contradiction that makes their arguments seem wholly and entirely politically pragmatic. For example, during a vote in the House on April 2, 2009 the majority of House Republicans sought to end Medicare as it currently exists in the vote on the Republican budget alternativesubmitted by Budget Committee Ranking Member Paul Ryan (R-WI). The amendment won support from nearly four-fifths of House Republicans and effectively would have converted Medicare into a voucher system providing future retirees with a fixed amount of money to buy private insurance plans.

Valid point, sort of. But what the writer gets wrong is 1.) the nature of the cuts to Medicare as proposed by Democrats; and 2.) the "inevitable" rationing that faces the country under health care reform and such budgetary cuts.

I can't blame the writer, really. Democrats have avoided the rationing conversation since the beginning when they should have embraced the discussion to reveal the ways in which current practices of rationing will be regulated by government intervention. And they haven't clearly defined how they will cut Medicare, allowing the cuts be wrongly characterized as simple rationing instead of cutting the over-treatment, over-medication, and over-testing that is done to seniors - with little benefit - under the current system.

Hypocrisy is one thing that unfortunately both sides of the aisle have engaged in for their ends. Clearer information is needed to debunk the rationing and cuts accusations. I wish the media were working harder to set The American Catholic and other misinformed parties straight.