David Brooks is back again spreading dishonesty as the honest broker. He is upset about "entitlements" and how they are going to break the budget. Social Security and Medicare are by far the largest entitlements, with Medicaid coming in a distant but rapidly growing third.
As everyone familiar with the data knows, Medicare and Medicaid are the real problems, as projections showing exploding private sector health care costs make these program unaffordable. The implication of this analysis is that we have to fix the private health care system in order to keep both the private and public sector solvent.
But, this would mean going after powerful interests like the insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the doctors. It is much easier to go after the beneficiaries of entitlements, the elderly and soon to be elderly. They are much less powerful. And people like David Brooks (and David Broder and the Washington Post editorial page and ...) will applaud your courage.
I’m writing to you today with a sense of urgency that I haven’t felt since I began my journalism career. As executive editor of The American Prospect, I’ve witnessed firsthand how independent journalism serves as a crucial bulwark against the erosion of our democratic institutions. Today, that role is more vital than ever. Can you step up today and show your support?
The winds of authoritarianism are blowing stronger. We’re seeing alarming signs of a coordinated effort to silence critical voices and undermine the very foundations that support progressive causes. As Bob Kuttner presciently wrote in our August 2024 issue, a weaponized IRS could attack the very foundations of the progressive movement. We need readers to step up and help us dig in for the long haul.
We’re falling behind in our spring fundraising campaign, and with so much at stake we can’t afford to come up short. If you value fearless, independent journalism that holds the powerful accountable and defends democracy, now is the time to step up. The American Prospect depends on reader support to stay in the fight. Pitch in today and help us close the gap. Please consider making a donation today.
–David Dayen, Executive Editor
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