I don't believe it

MANIFESTO

Even though I have no doubt that the sentiment, "Keep your government hands off my Medicare," could be on the minds of the aging booboisie, I don't believe the veracity of reports that the phrase was expressed.

In Jonathan Alder's version, the phrase appears in a letter from a "woman who wrote the president complaining about 'socialized medicine' and added: "'Now keep your hands off my Medicare.'"

Paul Krugman reports that

at a recent town-hall meeting in suburban Simpsonville, a man stood up and told Rep. Robert Inglis (R-S.C.) to "keep your government hands off my Medicare."

It's a lovely phrase and, as I say, could very well be held by many. Nevertheless, I'm going to continue to believe that this is just another apocryphal incident that shows just how clueless many Americans are regarding the public services they receive.