As everyone here knows Paul Ryan's plan - now the de facto Republican plan - is to help pay for more tax breaks for the super-wealthy but eliminating the promise of government run healthcare for the elderly, poor and young in this country. The news coverage of this has been better than I expected but still often disguises the fundamental change this policy is with words like "reform" or "revise".
What we need is a handy shorthand expression that bundles the complex elimination of Medicare and Medicaid into a voucher system reliant on the participation of private insurance into a sound bite suitable for TV news. I humbly submit "Death Vouchers". Better yet is the slightly longer "Republican plan of Death Vouchers for the elderly." but even this may be too much for 24 hour news cycle driven TV.
If Republicans can somehow sum the attempt to get some of the uninsured Americans into private insurance at the mild insistence of the government into a debate on "Death Panels" I think we should co-opt this phrase to shine a light on the fact that the proposed policy of eliminating Medicare will actually kill people without even the courtesy of a panel.
If the Republicans actually feel like they can put forth a budget that so baldly does what this budget does we need to call them on it and make them defend it for what it is. Don't let them hide behind arguments of "reform" and "sacrifice" make them stand up and defend killing old and poor people and children so the wealthy can pay less in taxes. We know they'll lie about it - as diaried here by joelgp - and evade the question. But it's much harder to spin a good sound bite style answer to "Why do you support your party's plan of 'Death Vouchers for the elderly'?" than a softball question about "proposed reforms".
Okay, I'm probably hoping for too much with this one, but I'd love to be wrong and see that happen on my television over and over again until everyone knows the truth about it.