CNN's Tapper gives up trying to get an answer from Ocasio-Cortez on health care costs
CNN's Tapper gives up trying to get an answer from Ocasio-Cortez on health care costs
September 17, 2018
"I'm assuming I'm not going to get an answer for that other $38 trillion," said Tapper.
By Rick Moran
Is the democratic socialist candidate for Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, about to become the dumbest congressman in the House? Viewing this interview with CNN's Jake Tapper regarding the $40-trillion cost of her radical left agenda, she's certainly in the running.
An exasperated Tapper finally gave up trying to get any kind of coherent answer about how much her socialist schemes would cost the taxpayer, saying, "I'm assuming I'm not going to get an answer for that other $38 trillion."
Here's the video of the interview. Ocasio-Cortez doesn't appear to be dodging the question as much as she doesn't understand what Tapper is asking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHM0uc3GVYk
Youtube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHM0uc3GVYk
Fox News: CNN anchor Jake Tapper cited a conglomeration of think tanks – some of which he noted to be left-leaning – and said that the price tag for her platform could be as high as $40 trillion.
Tapper acknowledged that Ocasio-Cortez had also included a call to increase taxes on the wealthy and on corporations, which could gross about $2 trillion.
"So where is the other $38 trillion going to come from?" Tapper asked, adding that some of his own statistics came from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Ocasio-Cortez, who is running against St. John's University Prof. Tony Pappas (R-Queens) for a seat covering Astoria, Queens and much of the Bronx, responded that Medicare-for-all would "save the American people a very large amount of money."
She said that "every modern civilized democracy in the Western world" has some form of socialized medicine in that way.
"These investments are... good for our future," she said.
"I get that," Tapper said. "But the price tag for everything you've laid out in your campaign is $40 trillion... That's quite a bit of money."
Ocasio-Cortez said that looking at how the American health care system works today, "much of these costs go into the private sector."
Ocasio-Cortez is correct – except the money will still be spent. Someone, somewhere has to pay for it. She obviously thinks that if government pays for it, it's free. She said her plan would spur increased economic activity and get millennials more involved in the economy than they currently are.
"I'm assuming I'm not going to get an answer for that other $38 trillion," Tapper responded.
Socialists have cited the figures from the same study showing a cost of $30 trillion for "Medicare for All," which also includes modest savings of about $2 trillion over ten years. Both Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders have referred to those "savings" as significant. They aren't. Tapper's question about how we pay for the other $38 trillion goes over her head.
I'm being kind saying she's a dunce rather than a liar. In order to lie effectively, a politician must be informed enough to fashion a plausible fib. The depthlessness of her intellect should be embarrassing to her socialist colleagues but won't be because they're as stupid as she is.
This is the wave of the future? I think I'll watch that movie Idiocracy again.
