An analysis of recent Republican activity seems to indicate that the party is gearing up to call for cuts to long-standing retirement entitlements like Medicare and Social Security. GOP lawmakers are stepping up their criticisms of the costly programs, even in senior-heavy communities in Florida. Last week, sunshine state Representative Allen West, favored by the Tea Party, said of the entitlements, "if we don't institute some type of reform, they'll subsume our entire GDP within 30 or 40 years." Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare currently take up about 40 percent of the U.S. budget and are growing more expensive. So far, Democrats appear conflicted on the issue.
