Is the Republican National Committee talking out of both sides of its mouth?

The RNC recently released its "Seniors Health Care Bill of Rights" and horror of horrors, they want to protect America's most massive "socialist" health care plan, Medicare!

On their Web site www.gop.com the Republicans state "protect Medicare and not cut it" as part of their six-point plan. Another one of the their points states, "Republicans believe that seniors should not be targeted by a government-run health care bill and forced out of their current Medicare coverage."

Well who do they think runs Medicare — the tooth fairy?

Plane and simple, Medicare is a government-run program using taxpayer money to care for the older segment of society.

Out the other side of their mouths the conservatives/Republicans have railed against Obama and the Democrats for promoting socialized health care. Talk about having cake and eating it too!!!!

So where do the Republicans really stand? Either they support socialized health care or they don't. It's like being pregnant. You're pregnant or you are not. You can't be half pregnant, almost pregnant or a little pregnant.

If they support Medicare then why are they calling Obama and the Democrats plans "socialistic"?

Maybe the RNC needs some lessons from Charles Hugh Smith writing in Oftwominds.com. He explains, "Here's one way to distinguish between "pure" socialism (ownership of productive assets) and social welfare: The Veterans Administration hospital system is owned lock, stock and barrel by the Federal government. It is thus socialist. The VA may hire private subcontractors and purchase goods and services from private enterprises but all the decisions are made by the government. If the government decides to, it can sell off VA-owned assets such as land or hospitals. Medicare is a system of care which is funded by the government, but the government does not own the assets of the system. However, the government controls the prices paid vendors and the prices paid by Medicare enrollees--in essence, a closed system in which the costs, whatever they might be, are paid by those outside the system: the taxpayers."

Perhaps the Republicans know if they oppose Medicare and health care for veterans they will lose the support and votes of every senior citizen and military family in the country and they also realize a high percentage of themselves, their voters and supporters already reap the free benefits of America's premier "socialized" health care programs — Medicare and the VA.

Columnist Doyle McManus writing in the Los Angeles Times said the airwaves have become cluttered with charges of socialism and death squads and along comes RNC Chairman Michael Steele politically "cross-dressing" as he defends Medicare.

McManus notes that in 1961, before enacted, a future president Ronald Reagan denounced Medicare saying, "you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free." But as Reagan himself approached those sunset years, Medicare began to look better and better until he dropped opposition to it.

The about-face by Steele has left himself struggling to articulate exactly what is the GOP's real policy.

He even further paints himself and the GOP into a corner by saying Medicare is a single-payer system which is "a very good example of what we should not have happen with our health care." This, says McManus, is "incoherent demagoguery" by the GOP's Steele.

Interesting that some of those shouting the loudest against the Democrat's plans are themselves receiving Medicare and VA benefits! I've heard no Medicare recipients complaining about their care and most of the retired military I've talked with have very view complaints with their free VA benefits.

Maybe we just need to stop debating the "socialist" question and get on with repairing our severely broken health care system. We all need a good dose of reason and common sense.