Budget woes target elderly in Ireland

The current Irish government managed to redefined the word ‘dumb’ in October when it released a budget that strips those over 70 of their automatic entitlement to a health card.

A health card in Ireland guarantees the holder the right to free medical care and prescriptions, something of vital interest to most elderly people.

Not surprisingly then, the Fianna Fail government ministers, became the focus of intense negative reaction from those over 70 and many younger people by announcing that those wanting medical cards would have to successfully meet financial qualifications through means tests.

Then, when challenged over the sensibility of this action, the Fianna Fail leadership almost belligerently attacked those in opposition and basically said the measure would stand and if others in or out of government didn’t like it, that was just tough.

It’s hard to imagine that people who make their living as politicians year after year would so blithely attack a sector of the electorate that is so obviously able to fight back. If nothing else, those in this government could have looked at examples from the United States, which have clearly illustrated the dangers of screwing around with entitlements for the elderly.

But, alas, our leaders chose to go their own incredibly dumb way.

Oddly, the government is facing a €9 billion shortfall in income next year, so some very uncomfortable belt tightening in this budget was inevitable. But out of that shortage in income, the amount to be saved in the elderly medical card rollback was just a blip on the economic radar — about €100 million.

So why then would these seasoned legislators call in a political airstrike on their own position? Good question.

That’s also what more than 15,000 people demonstrating on the issue in Dublin a few days after the budget was announced wanted to know. Many traveled from the farthest reaches of this island to protest. Not surprisingly, they failed to get the satisfaction they demanded: In a vote in the Irish Parliament (the Dail), a bill to revoke the medical card changes failed by 81 votes to 74.

How can it all be described? Yep, dumb. Just that.