"Mr. Reid's payroll surtax would sever the link between the tax paid over a lifetime and the medical benefits received, officially making Medicare an income redistribution program."Medicare and social security are already income redistribution programs: the amount paid in is determined by income (up to the cap, for now) while the benefits are similar. Someone who makes $100k pays in twice as much as someone earning $50k but both workers receive the almost identical benefits upon eligibility.If a supposed conservative can't see the already blatantly obvious, that medicare and social security are already income redistribution programs, we're in much bigger trouble than I thought.