By Robert Samuelson

WASHINGTON — One of our long-running political stories is the economic assault on the young by the old. We have become a society that invests in its past and disfavors the future. This makes no sense for the nation, but as politics, it makes complete sense. The elderly and near elderly are better organized, focus obsessively on their government benefits, and seem deserving. Grandmas and Grandpas command sympathy.

Everyone knows that the resulting “entitlements” dominate government spending and squeeze education, research, defense and almost everything else. In fiscal 2008 — the last “normal” year before the economic crisis — Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid (programs wholly or primarily dedicated to the elderly) totaled $1.3 trillion, 43 percent of federal spending and more than twice military spending. Because workers, not retirees, are the primary taxpayers, this spending involves huge transfers to the old.
Comes now the House-passed health care “reform” bill that, amazingly, would extract more subsidies from the young.

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“Rob the Young to Pay the Old”: Obama Sacrifices His Strongest Supporters With Healthcare Proposal

By Rachel Hoff and Brittny McKinney

With roughly one-third of Americans ages 20 to 30 without health insurance, young adults make up the largest uninsured population in the country. Liberals say we need health reform for the sake of all the “uninsured children and elderly,” but the facts are that less than 3% of those over the age of 65 and only 10% of children under the age of 18 are uninsured – and the vast majority of them are eligible for Medicaid and Medicare but simply not enrolled.

The harsh reality of Obama’s proposal for health reform is that it will have the most direct and detrimental effect on young adults. The legislation passed by the House last Saturday essentially shifts the cost burden of health insurance to young Americans in their 20s. Many healthy young people, who on average make less money than older workers, choose not to purchase health insurance, sometimes because they feel their funds are better spent elsewhere.

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Oprah Winfrey’s interview with former vp candidate Sarah Palin scored the talk show host her highest rating in two years. Monday’s episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” drew a 8.7 household rating and 13 share — the best since Winfrey had the entire Osmond family on the show in 2007.

That means Palin also topped Winfrey’s heavily viewed interviews with Whitney Houston at the start of the season. Palin is making the rounds to promote her new book, “Going Rogue,” which came out Tuesday.

Winfrey began the interview by asking Palin if she felt snubbed at not getting an invitation to appear on the show last year.

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Four students from across the nation were honored Wednesday night at the first Undergraduate Political Achievement Awards for their work in student, local and national politics.

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