While Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., has forcefully denounced the Medicaid program for swelling the "welfare rolls," the mental health clinic run by her husband has been collecting annual Medicaid payments totaling over $137,000 for the treatment of patients since 2005, according to new figures obtained by NBC News.
...The logic of this argument is atrocious. If accepted, no critic of a government program could ever have participated in it. The claims of whistle-blowers would be worthless. Furthermore, those who want to raise taxes would have to have voluntarily paid the higher rates in order to escape Isikoff's argument. After all, how could you claim to want higher taxes when you have benefited from the current rates?
The issue of her receipt of government aid has gotten attention because Bachmann, a Tea Party favorite, has been a fierce critic of federal spending programs and has called for drastic cutbacks. This has especially been the case on health care, including the expansions of Medicaid called for under the new health care law.
But, of course, this is nonsense. People shouldn't be expected to forgo the benefits of a government policy they disagree with - especially if they are being taxed to pay for it. I've seen the media criticize tea partiers for collecting social security while ignoring the fact that the pensioners were forced by law to pay into the system for their entire working lives. The argument that they are hypocrites for receiving the benefits eludes me.
When Obama pushes to raise taxes, I want Isikoff to point out that Obama has benefited from the current rates ever since they were implemented and never voluntarily contributed more to the treasury. If Isikoff doesn't acknowledge this, we'll know who the real hypocrite is.
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