Sen. Hognose thanks NYT

[Senator Cerastes E. Hognose]

New York Times
New York City, NY

Dear Editor,

I thank you on behalf of myself and 69 fellow Senators for your
editorial, "Inevitable Surgery On Medicare" (Wed. June 26, 1997). In
it you call us remarkable for having "the guts to take necessary
action" to raise the age of eligibility from 65 to 67. May I
reciprocate.

Not everyone was able to see the courage it took to rescind medical
care for the people who need it most. Some constituents thought it
would have been braver to cut the arms budget, the CIA, or subsidies
to big business. Others even suggest that, far from being courageous,
it was craven, contemptible cowardice. What would they have us do
instead? Legislate against obscene profits in the drug and hospital
industry?

They point to the fact that the arms budget is $268 billion, almost
twice what Medicare costs, and suggest that we might cut some of our
15 aircraft carrier groups and phase out weapons systems that the
Pentagon doesn't want.

But you, editor, are being modest in giving us all the credit. You
have done outstanding work in helping to minimize the political risk,
by downplaying the unpopular parts of our proposals on inside pages,
while emphasizing the misleading "more cuts to wealthy" feature, at
every opportunity.

Fraternally,

Senator Cerastes E. Hognose
Washington, D.C.