There is a behind the scenes fight going on between Democrats and Republicans over language Democrats have put into official mail going out to their constituents.  The fight is over the GOP plan to end Medicare as we know it.  Today, the government is the single payer of medical bills for our retired citizens.  Under the GOP plan, seniors would need to buy insurance from a private company.  They would get a voucher that they could use to offset the cost of the premiums.  This would be a huge change to the program.  I think it’s fair to say that it is such a huge change that the program under the GOP plan is not Medicare, but something altogether different.  

Now, in the fight between the Dems and the GOP, the GOP says the Dems can’t use the phrase “eliminate Medicare as we know it and replace it with a privatized system”.

In my mind, the GOP’s attempt to make people believe that their budget proposal saves Medicare when in fact it ends it is like saying this Van Halen and this Van Halen are the same.  Perhaps in name, but to a seeing, hearing person, they are nowhere the same.