Problems Ahead for Republicans

If you are a senior citizen or have one in your family, you'll probably be facing some obstacles in the next few days. The obstacles come in the new Medicare Drug Benefit designed by Republicans for seniors. Enrollment starts November 15th and seniors have been trying to understand the complicated information for choosing a program. Some programs are only in certain states, cover certain medications, and are available at specific drug stores. Also, individual insurance companies have a variety of insurance plans as well as different premium costs. It is a complete mess. The New York Times has a revealing article on the confusion surrounding the drug plan. The Medicare prescription drug plan is nearly impossible to understand. Don't believe me? Check out the information here.

The Mideast Democracy Summit failed to buy into President Bush's plan.

Guess many of us won't be going to France on vacation. Why is it that the French government was initially slow to react and still has had little success with the rioting. Chirac is under heavy criticism.

The Republican plans for legislation have been pushed back. With the Republican corruption scandals, many moderate Republicans are losing interest in pushing a conservative right wing agenda. Here is the story.

Retired Marine General Joseph P. Hoar had a few thing to say about the lack of support that this administration is giving to vets:

Speaking on the Veterans Day weekend, the former U.S. military commander in the Middle East said
"President Bush has consistently refused to provide enough" money for veterans' health care.

"Earlier this year, his administration admitted that they were $1 billion short in funding for critical health care services," he said. "They also repeatedly tried to increase the cost of prescription drugs and health care services for veterans nationwide."

The Veterans Affairs Department acknowledged in April that it had underestimated medical care costs. Congress reacted by approving an additional $1.5 billion in emergency funds for the current budget year.

Is this the way the Republicans support the troops?