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The Push For Colbert's "Restoring Truthiness" Rally
jamie writes "A grassroots campaign has begun to get Stephen Colbert to hold a rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to counter Glenn Beck's recent 'Restoring Honor' event. The would-be rally has been dubbed 'Restoring Truthiness' and was inspired by a recent post on Reddit, where a young woman wondered if the only way to point out the absurdity of the Tea Party's rally would be if Colbert mirrored it with his own Colbert Nation.'"
Why is this on Slashdot?
I couldn't care less about the Tea Party or Colbert. It isn't real news. It certainly isn't for nerds.
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
Knock what you want, but Beck must be doing something right. Now everyone wants to hold a rally...
It seems like 3/4th of the publicity Glenn Beck gets is from people calling him a raging idiot. Maybe if we just stop paying attention to him, and Jon Stewart stops making fun of him every single show, he might just go away when he realizes most people don't care about the crap he spews out of that hole he calls a mouth.
Shouldn't this be in idle?
If you put in the proposed date into a binary translator, 10/10/10, you get an output of 42!!! The answer to everything is this rally!!!
This is better than geese flying over.
Every so often I think it's a sad state of affairs for journalism when satirists like John Stewart and Stephen Colbert on a comedy channel are considered more reliable, trustworthy, and objective in their reporting than "serious" (for lack of a better term) journalists like Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly on what's supposed to be a news channel.
Are usually nerdy college students or people who live in their parent's basement rent free. In other words dependents who are dependant upon staying out from the daylight. You really think they are going to get a bunch of them pryed away from their gamestations and computers long enough to go outside to a rally in the hot burning sun?
You would have better luck convincing Vampires to eat a cloves of garlic while standing in an open air church at high noon.
You shouldn't assume that everyone who watches the same shows you do is like you.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Just curious, but what data are you basing that extremely general claim off of? Or is your post meant to troll all those who like Colbert/Stewart for whatever reason you have?
I'm sorry, but every political/issue rally is absurd. Million man march anyone? The countless demonstrations for the environment? Any rally with a politician?
These events only serve to make the participants feel like they are doing something.
where a young woman wondered if the only way to point out the absurdity of the Tea Party's rally would be if Colbert mirrored it with his own Colbert Nation.'"
It's certainly easier than, you know, actually acknowledging and dealing with their ideas...
It was sad enough to see Beck's shameless self promotion, let alone to now see Colbert's cynical copycatting of shameless self-promotion
Haver you never seen Colbert's show?
The date they want to hold the rally is 10 October of '10. I.E., 10/10/10, however they have the poster written with the date as 101010, which is binary for 42, which, as we all know, is the answer to life, the universe and everything. Its the ultimate truthy thing. It's the ultimate nerd thing. Only thing its missing is a sign saying "Repent! The Singularity is Nye!" with the Science guy himself staring everyone down like Uncle Sam.
Colbert's entire shtick is parodying shamelessly self promoting pundits like "Papa Bear" O'Reilly and Beck.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Should the dark side be somewhere in the chain of reasoning?
If he explores all forms and substances Straight homeward to their symbol-essences; He shall not die.
No, the Nation of Islam and the Million Man March did it first, then the Promise Keepers did it, now it's goddamned political theatre.
Wow, you mean some smug Internet denizen came up with a way to launch a "hilarious" yet substance-free attack on a group she and all her cool friends just "know" is silly? What stunning news! Strawman used by baselessly smug group of left wingers against group of right wingers!
What next, are we going to have a story about a group of right wingers painting left wingers as Anti-American and playing the Outrage Card to rouse the rabble?
A pox on both their houses.
Doesn't it get boring after a while, reveling in how clever you and your Internet buddies who have developed some lame shared-language of goofball Internet memes are?
Oh, wait...
I think the fellow below had it right when he completed the cycle with "Getting laid leads to marriage, and marriage leads to SUFFERING!"
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
What exactly is funny about it? I'm no Glenn Beck fan, he's a delusional religious nut. But I don't get what's deep about what basically amounts to "Durr, let's do a mock rally". Seriously, the idea to lampoon somebody is original or clever?
He won't do it because anybody with half a brain sees how unoriginal, dreary, obvious, and boring the idea is. I don't watch his show, but going for the obvious tack doesn't seem his style.
The race profiteer Al Sharpton led a small group to protest the "hijacking" of MLK's memory.
... throw an anti-tea party rally. To be fair, you'd have to have your platform be the opposite of the tea party platform. So I guess the RT rally would be for a non-balanced budget, pro-emissions trade, pro-more complex tax system, anti-auditing the Federal Government, pro-escalating federal budgets, pro-earmarks, pro-tax increases.
Sounds like we already have all that. So you are rallying for the status quo.
Good Job you socially progress folks.
You mock yourselves.
To think that ANY political ideology, no matter where it sits on the spectrum of political thought, provides an optimum framework for solving the world's or nation's problems is the sign of a very small mind.
*whoosh*
Getting rid of Beck would be like getting rid of Hitler, you risk having someone competent replace him after giving the followers a martyr and renewed (frothing mad) fervor.
After a Colbert rally, I am quite confident that there will be trash all over the place.
Huh... so I suppose you've done an in-depth survey, and have thus proven that Colbert Report viewers are slobs... or something?
Fuck, I'm saddened, yet unsurprised, you got modded up... apparently there are 3-4 idiots out there who believe that baseless opinions insulting groups they dislike qualifies as "interesting".
That's the part about Colbert I always found so awesome...through parody, he speaks more truth than those with a "serious" agenda.
Of course, nothing is funnier than someone who thinks Colbert is serious. My friend's mom is a die hard conservative, and she thought Colbert was serious about everything he did (taking it as Comedy Central's counterpoint to The Daily Show, in the interest of being balanced.) I showed her clips of Colbert getting his start on The Daily Show, and of him talking politics outside of his "Colbert" character.
Her head exploded.
Living With a Nerd
Why is this liberal garbage on SlashDot? I didn't see anything on Beck on here and pray it wasn't because it should be here either. Please ppl, stop the ignorance.
-------- Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most. --Ozzy
I was responding to this:
It was sad enough to see Beck's shameless self promotion, let alone to now see Colbert's cynical copycatting of shameless self-promotion
I felt it was pretty obvious what my point was. It is not sad to see Colbert's 'cynical copycatting of shameless self promotion,' because that is what Colbert does, and has always done, and it's funny.
It seems you have mistaken what I wrote to mean that I support Beck or O'Reilly. Nothing could be further from the truth.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Stop it. It isn't flamebait. I may be a liberal and Wyatt may be conservative, but even I can tell he's not here to incite flames.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
I have no idea how many people will show up at a Colbert rally, but I can tell you one very significant difference between the rally that Glen Beck held and one that Colbert holds. After the Glen Beck rally, it looked like the grounds crew had just finished getting the place ready for an event, everything picked up and put away, no trash on the ground. After a Colbert rally, I am quite confident that there will be trash all over the place.
I really hope that Colbert does hold such a rally, it will tell us a lot about what is going on in this country.
So is that a relevant issue? Should we decide the merits of MLK based on how many litterbugs where in his crowd compared to an equivalently sized Klan meeting?
Wait, you think we were on track to win in Vietnam? And it was the protests that screwed things up? And you think the citizens of Vietnam are 'relegated to live under communism?' Vietnam had one of the highest growth rates in the world since the government instituted free market reforms in 1986. Vietnam is a member of the WTO, and well respected in the international community. The human rights situation is still abysmal, but improving. Give it time and Vietnam will be indistinguishable from the free and prosperous hybrid socialist/free market economies of Europe. As of right now, their economy is doing quite a bit better than ours. Funny how it was capitalism that imploded recently, not socialism.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
"Colbert" is in fact a persona not a real person,
and the single best part of this is the Bush Administrations complete idoicy when they booked him for the White House Correspondents Dinner.
That was pure gold.
People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people
I seem to remember some other guy holding a rally at the Lincoln Memorial before Beck, went over really big too IIRC.
Something about him having a dream or something like that.
The best counter-protest signs I'd seen were from the attendees of Comic-Con this year when the Westboro Baptist Church (The "God Hates Fags" guys) protested the event:
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/07/22/super-heroes-vs-the-westboro-baptist-church/
And your point is... what exactly?
His shtick is funny and has more truth in it than O'Reilly/GB's festering mouth(s) could ever dream of.
Festering mouths? Really? Why the hatred? I mean, it's OK to disagree on the subject matter, but do you really need to literally HATE those with a different perspective on life? I believe yours and nearly every other post here, are proof that it's not the right that are the "hate mongers", but the left.
So it's true. The left does project.
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
Your comment is in line with "elect Republicans and they will take your Social Security away" or "Elect Democrats and they will raise taxes"
Even if somehow one party managed to control two thirds of both houses and the white house the courts would still be there as well as the court of public opinion. Even while Democrats had a majority in both houses they rarely got anything done. When they did they resorted to parliamentarian tricks and deception. Hell we saw bill after bill passed without Congressmen knowing what was in it and somehow this is better than what might come later?
If anything government is dysfunctional and they have made it so that the rules protect them in their rule. The tea party that many associate negative connotations with is that part which was absconded with by people looking to make money and increase their power base. As was seen in Alaska, the real tea party does not obey the Republican party and does not cede to the Democrats either. It is still up in the open what they may become but if all we have are people spouting FUD what we will have? Simple, the same crap we have now where both parties play people off each other so that THEY can stay in power. So while they cheer your inane comments, put there by endless talking heads on each side, nothing changes and that is the best solution they could hope for.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
What exactly has Beck said that is incorrect or false lately? Examples please..... just curious.
"Colbert" is in fact a persona not a real person, that is the personality on screen is not as he is in real life. The whole thing is a sarcastic cynical look at Fox News talk shows and other self important talking heads. That's why some people think it's funny, others (without a sense of humor) are offended.
I don't find him funny. It's not that I don't have a sense of humor, it's that I no longer find a joke funny after hearing it over and over and over and over again. We get it. Colbert thinks Bill O'Reilly and what he believes are conservative talk show hosts are ignorant, racist, bigoted, self serving, pompous asses. I got it in the first ten minutes the very first time I saw his show. After that, it's been the predictable telling of the same joke over and over and over again.
As an example, compare that to South Park. In South Park, you have Ben Afleck with an ass-face, Tom Cruize packing fudge and won't come out of the closet, Mel Gibson smearing poo all over the walls, Cartman as Beck, Al Gore as himself warning us all about man-bear-pig, Scientologists as frauds, Jesus looking at porn and Mohammed in a pedo-bear costume. They piss off everyone. Even Stewart, who also spends much of his time roasting the right, will go after the occasional liberal on extremely rare occasion.
"Colbert" is nothing more than a repetitive constant bashing of O'Reilly via parody and it gets old really, really, really fast.
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
Cannot contain the laughter...
That was the perfect Colbert immitation of cyclical fallacy based arguments!
Build a strawman, name it hatred, claim "literal" hatred, denounce the made up statement, over-generalize and claim as proof.
The last line though, was absolute perfection. Projecting your own hatred in a statement about projection.
Classic Colbert.
) Human Kind Vs Human Creation
) It'd be interesting to see how many humans would survive to serve us.
Wait, you think we were on track to win in Vietnam? And it was the protests that screwed things up?
Uh, yeah. We lost zero major battles in Vietnam. Exactly zero. Had the bombing campaign been allowed to continue and not been limited (again, due to liberal protests), we bet your ass we could have won that war.
And you think the citizens of Vietnam are 'relegated to live under communism?' Vietnam had one of the highest growth rates in the world since the government instituted free market reforms in 1986.
So, what you are saying is that Vietnam had one of the highest growth rates in the world since the government realized that communism doesn't really work and tossed aside all that "to each according to their need" bullshit.
Vietnam is a member of the WTO, and well respected in the international community. The human rights situation is still abysmal, but improving.
What gets me is the respect coming from you, even though you are fully aware that " The human rights situation is still abysmal...". A country with an "abysmal" human rights record is what we were there fighting to prevent. Populations don't want to be oppressed. They are forced to allow it to happen because the oppressor is stronger than they are and is either stronger or more staying power than those fighting for freedom.
Give it time and Vietnam will be indistinguishable from the free and prosperous hybrid socialist/free market economies of Europe.
You mean, like they could have had since 1975? How many souls spent their entire lives under oppression because someone thought that if we showed peace and love that the world would turn into a John Lennon song.
As of right now, their economy is doing quite a bit better than ours.
Really? While our economy sucks, it only sucks when compared to itself. Our economy grew more in the past year than the entire economy of Vietnam. The US GDP per capita is $46,381. Vietnam's is $2,942. Um, I think our economy is a bit better than Vietnam's. So, given your track record of "non-facts", I guess we can throw out your last point of "Funny how it was capitalism that imploded recently, not socialism."
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
Well of course. Beck, Limbaugh, and Coulter, it's pure performance art. The only difference between them and Colbert is that Colbert plays the whole thing for laughs, and makes few secrets that it's satire. The real eye opener here is just how fucking stupid the Teabaggers are that they don't realize that they're falling for a joke. Now I still Beck is an immoral pile of crap, not because of what he says, but because he doesn't wink at the audience like Colbert does.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
but Colbert and others continue to tell us all that nothing's wrong
Jon Stewart and Colbert are constantly talking about the budget problems lately...they both do many things, but acting like nothing is wrong certainly isn't one of them.
Living With a Nerd
The Best Thing Ever was when some Bush-administration lackey took Colbert seriously enough to invite him to speak at the 2006 White House Correspondents' dinner.
That speech made Colbert forever one of my personal heroes.
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
I dunno. I think Beck doesn't necessarily believe what he says, but he /does/ believe (not without justification) that his viewers are morons who will believe whatever he tells them, as long as he includes the magic incantation to tell them to do their own research.
The man's *very* well paid to spread conservative propaganda.
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
I'm sorry. But do Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly have some kind of dental infection that I'm not aware of? No? Then the "festering mouths" comment is a personal attack, an insult not to refute or forward arguments, but to insult these men personally.
So, yeah, that is what I'd call a hateful attack, or in more general terms, an attack based on hate. So, if it really was a hateful personal attack, then it was not a strawman, which is what your entire point was based on.
Here, let me try to say it in simpler terms so maybe you might understand:
Strange that every time I see an argument against the Tea Party or conservatives in general, it is almost always based on how hateful conservatives are. Yet, here are 300 comments, nearly all of which are based on personal attacks and insults.
So, I ask again, project much?
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
Spoiler alert for Colbert's show: His show is CONSTANT shameless self-promotion. And it actually is shameless, rather than the incorrect usage that really means shameful. He also has the Captain America shield, so he's plot-device invincible.
There is no -1 Disagree.
What gets me is the respect coming from you, even though you are fully aware that " The human rights situation is still abysmal...". A country with an "abysmal" human rights record is what we were there fighting to prevent.
Yeah and we went into Iraq to save the people from tyranny. If what you say is true, then you got a lot of splaining to do about South Korea where WE WON and they had similar human rights problems until well into the 80s too.
And your point is... what exactly?
His shtick is funny and has more truth in it than O'Reilly/GB's festering mouth(s) could ever dream of.
Festering mouths? Really? Why the hatred?
Festering mouth is right, and its not hatred. Any Projection is on your part.
If I see someone walking around with a festering wound for a mouth I don't hate them, but I sure am concerned that something dangerously ungood is happening.
No, of course you don't hate them. You just call their mouth a "festering wound" and claim that their actions can only lead to "something dangerously ungood", but no hatred at all there.
Of course, these people are only guilty of have a point of view that is different than your own and as we all know, anyone that does not agree with you has a "festering wound" for a mouth.
Yeah. No personal attacks there. Only pure fact and logic. When someone disagrees with you, they are obviously scum of the earth with no hope of completing anything worth while. Seriously, how could I possibly refute the "festering mouth" argument? It's a plain to see as the Chewbacca defense and equally unrefutable.
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
Wait, you think we were on track to win in Vietnam? And it was the protests that screwed things up?
Uh, yeah. We lost zero major battles in Vietnam. Exactly zero. Had the bombing campaign been allowed to continue and not been limited (again, due to liberal protests), we bet your ass we could have won that war.
Except the political battle.
And you think the citizens of Vietnam are 'relegated to live under communism?' Vietnam had one of the highest growth rates in the world since the government instituted free market reforms in 1986.
So, what you are saying is that Vietnam had one of the highest growth rates in the world since the government realized that communism doesn't really work and tossed aside all that "to each according to their need" bullshit.
That would be a sterling example of winning a war by losing a battle and letting Vietnam realize that communism isn't a plausible way to run a country in the long term.
Vietnam is a member of the WTO, and well respected in the international community. The human rights situation is still abysmal, but improving.
What gets me is the respect coming from you, even though you are fully aware that " The human rights situation is still abysmal...". A country with an "abysmal" human rights record is what we were there fighting to prevent. Populations don't want to be oppressed. They are forced to allow it to happen because the oppressor is stronger than they are and is either stronger or more staying power than those fighting for freedom.
We can't force democracy on people, by definition.
Give it time and Vietnam will be indistinguishable from the free and prosperous hybrid socialist/free market economies of Europe.
You mean, like they could have had since 1975? How many souls spent their entire lives under oppression because someone thought that if we showed peace and love that the world would turn into a John Lennon song.
Again, you cannot force democracy on people who don't want it. North Vietnam would not be as free as it is today had we not withdrawn from the war.
As of right now, their economy is doing quite a bit better than ours.
Really? While our economy sucks, it only sucks when compared to itself. Our economy grew more in the past year than the entire economy of Vietnam. The US GDP per capita is $46,381. Vietnam's is $2,942. Um, I think our economy is a bit better than Vietnam's. So, given your track record of "non-facts", I guess we can throw out your last point of "Funny how it was capitalism that imploded recently, not socialism."
GDP per capita is not adjusted for the market value of goods. I bet they have iPhone clones that cost 1/10th of what ours cost.
South Part is all about pricking the pretentious, as outrageously as possible. Colbert does that too, but he's mainly about the politics, not the politicians. so yeah, Colbert isn't much fun if you don't actually care about politics. and why is it that you don't care about politics?
Oh yes. Unfortunately, the famous liberal dove Robert McNamara doesn't agree with you if you read between the lines of "Fog of War".
One of the main reasons the bombing was less effective that you make out was the C Chi tunnels which IIRC were far more extensive than bomber-command wished to believe.
From Operation Thunder
So, how many million tons did we fall short of achieving an easy victory? Another 700 tons per man, woman and child?
Thanks for playing.
Younger people are typically left-wing. As you get older, and if you're responsible, you'll begin swinging right... unless you're a career politician...
Usually what happens is people form opinions and rarely ever change them. Younger people for more liberal ideas and the definition of "liberal" and "conservative" (such as they are) changes over time so people so by the time a person who was liberal in their youth dies, the same opinions they've always held are now labelled as "conservative".
Or in short, old people mostly become set in their ways and don't like change, as they perceive it. Most people in general, have incorrect beliefs about what actually happened in the past and don't bother to research the truth. For example, the issue of taxation. Never in our history has taxation been as lacking in progressiveness (usually considered a liberal trait) as it is now. When "liberal" politicians try to move taxation to a more progressive level, like it was under Reagan or even Nixon, our society labels that as "liberal" and the opposite of conservative, even though it's actually moving things to be more like they used to be an always have been. Of course that's because the labels "liberal" and conservative" aren't about values, but about dividing society into two competing groups because it's the easiest way to get votes.
You might want to brush up on the history of the White House Correspondents' Association's dinner: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Correspondents'_Association . Yakov Smirnoff was the speaker in 1988.
The content of Colbert's speech may have surprised some, but taking him "seriously" would have disqualified him from being considered as the speaker.
I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.
Default isn't a problem, since the US can simply print money : TRUE
Holders of US currency (eg: most US citizens) won't care : FALSE
If the US prints money, then Chinese exports get more expensive, and the dollars in your bank account become worth less and less. i.e. you get poorer (because you experience inflation). Printing money = a tax that no-one focusses on. If the dollar falls by 10% (say) then every piece of income, every piece of capital, becomes worth 10% less.
OTOH, if you own a house (a fixed asset) and pay a mortgage (you owe dollars, not own dollars) then inflation is a win for you.
No, Colbert is about poking fun at CONSERVATIVE politics. That's why it gets old while South Park and even The Daily Show remain fresh. They spread it around.
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
What gets me is the respect coming from you, even though you are fully aware that " The human rights situation is still abysmal...". A country with an "abysmal" human rights record is what we were there fighting to prevent.
Yeah and we went into Iraq to save the people from tyranny. If what you say is true, then you got a lot of splaining to do about South Korea where WE WON and they had similar human rights problems until well into the 80s too.
South Korea? BTW, how are they doing compared to the North?
Thought so.
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
Having been visiting /. for over 15 years I'm shocked at the amount of, what appears to be, left wingers here. It's never really come up but am I in the conservative minority on Slashdot?
It's hard to say. A lot of people used to vehemently defend the Iraq war, but as the public soured on it they became a distinct minority. We still get a fairly large number of anti-Islam anti-Muslim posters... I was shocked by the views I saw posted here (and modded up) on a story a week or two ago.
But maybe all that doesn't really reflect conservative/liberal politics.
Traditionally we've had a very large number of "Latter Day Libertarians", by which I mean self-described Libertarians who apparently don't care about anything but gun ownership, taxes, and laws that might restrict their ability to become filthy rich.
Also... The most vocal group isn't necessarily the biggest group. We should have a /. poll on political orientation.
Younger people are typically left-wing. As you get older, and if you're responsible, you'll begin swinging right... unless you're a career politician...
This is conventional wisdom, but I'm not sure it's true. I have certainly gone the opposite direction.
Also, I suspect liberals and conservatives disagree intensely what "responsible" means.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Dude, Attila made a statement based on fact that you blasted him/her for and you were wrong. Wish I could say I was surprised at how you handle that. Maybe if you spent more time reading opposing ideas and viewpoints and less time trying to filter out the boogeyman you would have been able to google it and avoid looking like an ass.
This one's cool, Beck rally vs. inaguration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7y8gEcoqas
A little longer with a funny title "Post-Barackalyptic Wasteland" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMrJE7J3fWU
This one's all dramatic looking http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/2009/09/13/they-say-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-photo-after-obama-inauguration-ceremony-versus-photo-after-9-12-tea-party-rally/
Here's one from a liberal rag for you. Scroll down to "Tell your grandchildren: 'I was there'. Two people sitting on a pile of trash looking super happy about it http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/cold_weather/page/2/
MG
Also, they didn't actually /say/ much at the rally; the content seemed to be "mouth nice words, and also we need to turn to the Christian god", i.e. us heathens aren't Real Americans.
Lastly, with the hyperpartisanship of the previously mentioned, the only ones who'd physically show up were teabaggers anyway.
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
So far I and my employer have paid just over $57,000 in to Medicare, and I estimate about another $60,000 will be paid in on my behalf before I reach retirement age. That is $117,000 taken from me by the government as payment in advance for providing me with Medicare services when I reach retirement age.
Ignoring the time value of the money that was paid in by me and on my behalf over my entire working lifetime (i.e., interest it should have earned), if that money was paid out on my behalf every month starting when I reach retirement age, it would fund a health insurance plan at $300/month for 32 years.
So, in some sense, it would be "my Medicare" that was being manipulated, wouldn't it?