Carl Curtis
 Senator Carl T. Curtis in 1974. (AP Photo/HLG) |
During the debate over Medicaid and Medicare in 1965, Senator Carl Curtis (R-Neb.) — elected in 1936 on an anti-New Deal platform — said of the proposed programs, “[I]t is not needed. It is socialism. It moves the country in a direction which is not good for anyone, whether they be young or old. It charts a course from which there will be no turning back… It is not only socialism – it is brazen socialism.” He later stated, “the insurance industry has a remarkable record,” and added that Medicare “is not public welfare. It is not charity. It is not kindness. It is socialism. Socialism is not the answer to anything.” |
