by | ARTICLES, BUSINESS, CONSTITUTION, GOVERNMENT, OBAMA, OBAMACARE, TAXES, TRUMP
While we’re on the subject of tax reform, one particular item that could be included in the package is the elimination of the individual mandate. Since SCOTUS classified the penalty as a tax, it is one that can be repealed as part of the reform, and would produce an estimated savings of $338 billion over 10 years, according to current CBO figures.
Eliminating the individual mandate would not affect Medicaid or pre-existing conditions; it would simply allow taxpayers to have the freedom to decide if he or she wants to forego insurance without being penalized (taxed) for their choice. According to the Wall Street Journal and IRS data, more than 90% of households who paid the “individual shared responsibility payment” (tax) earned less than $75,000. The tax is essentially a tax on the poor.
Republicans would be wise to repeal the mandate, ease the tax burden on taxpayers, and use the savings gained within the rest of the tax package to strengthen other parts of the reform proposals and provide meaningful relief for all taxpayers.
by | ARTICLES, BLOG, FREEDOM, GOVERNMENT, LAW, OBAMA, OBAMACARE, POLITICS, TAXES
I’m sick and tired of reading over and over again in places both liberal and conservative that Trump’s (as well as the Republican’s) proposed tax reforms are going to give the lion’s share of the cuts to the top 1%. The entire concept is totally distorted.
In fact, nobody has been talking about the series of tax changes that occurred when Obama and his Democrat cronies passed the Obamacare increases. These raised the Bush tax rates on only the wealthiest from 36% – 39.6 % and then again raised the tax rates on the wealthiest by adding a net investment income tax (NIIT), otherwise known as the “Obamacare tax,” which covered all investment income. The increase also raised capital gains tax on the wealthiest from 15% – 20%. When the 3.8% tax is added, capital gains rates effectively went from 15%- 23.8% — an increase of almost 60%. That’s ridiculous!
Those ludicrous tax increases were principally responsible — along with the hemorrhage of regulations coming out of the Obama administration — for the horrific economic performance since Obama took office. The first step of any meaningful tax reform should be to reverse those Obamacare tax increases, which went 100% to the higher income individuals, and 0% to the middle class and lower income. The reversal of those insane tax increases should in no way be considered a tax cut. It is just restoring what was in fact an egregious toxin on our entire economy.
by | ARTICLES, BLOG, ECONOMY, GOVERNMENT, OBAMACARE, POLITICS, TAXES, TRUMP
I’m sick and tired of reading over and over again in places both liberal and conservative that Trump’s (as well as the Republican’s) proposed tax reforms are going to give the lion’s share of the cuts to the top 1%. The entire concept is totally distorted.
In fact, nobody has been talking about the series of tax changes that occurred when Obama and his Democrat cronies passed the Obamacare increases. These raised the Bush tax rates on only the wealthiest from 36% – 39.6 % and then again raised the tax rates on the wealthiest by adding a net investment income tax (NIIT), otherwise known as the “Obamacare tax,” which covered all investment income. The increase also raised capital gains on the wealthiest ones from 15% – 20%. When the 3.8% tax would get tacked on, capital gains rates effectively went from 15%- 23.8% — an increase of about 55%. That’s ridiculous!
Those ludicrous tax increases were principally responsible — along with the hemorrhage of regulations coming out of the Obama administration — for the horrific economic performance since Obama took office. The first step of any meaningful tax reform should be to reverse those Obamacare tax increases, which went 100% to the higher income individuals, and 0% to the middle class and lower income. The reversal of those insane tax increases should in no way be considered a tax cut. It is just restoring what was in fact an egregious toxin on our entire economy.
by | BLOG, GOVERNMENT, HEALTHCARE, OBAMA, OBAMACARE, POLITICS
It gets really annoying when commentators blather on about Obamacare and the Republican’s plan to repeal and replace; they get called hypocrites and the commentators keep suggesting that there is no plan to replace Obamacare, because they are terrified that it actually might happen, striking at the heart of the pinnacle of liberal policies.
But it’s not true and we all know it. It’s like the same lie we keep here over and over from the Democrats that the Republicans are being obstructionist and have nothing to contribute. “Being obstructionist” for the left means that the Republicans aren’t interested in sacrificing core principles for some ridiculous leftist policy. Likewise, saying the Republicans have “nothing to contribute” simply means that the Republicans have nothing to contribute that would appeal to the leftists.
The lie gets repeated because the press is either too lazy or too in the bed with certain camps to actually report on facts. Paul Ryan and Congress have come up their “A Better Way” proposal and its like it doesn’t even exist among mainstream media, because it goes against the narrative that “Republican are bad” and “Democrats are good.” Unfortunately, that narrative got deflated on Election Day.
Until now, no one has bothered to vote on the “A Better Way’ plan, because everyone who pays attention knew that Obama would automatically veto it. Now that Obama will be gone, now is the time to do it. The question is, will the commentators finally admit that such a roadmap to recovery exists?
by | ARTICLES, BLOG, ECONOMY, FREEDOM, GOVERNMENT, OBAMA, OBAMACARE, POLITICS, TAXES
The New York Times has admitted the failures of Obamacare: loss of insurers in many marketplaces, high premium costs, the collapse of many co-ops, overreaching federal mandates, and more. The Times suggests that change is necessary in order to ensure Obamacare’s survival, but seems to endorse even more government participation, not less.
There is a renewed push for a public option. One of the more ridiculous justifications from the article comes from the charge that “private insurance companies could not be trusted to provide reliable coverage or control costs” and that “the shrinking number of health insurers is proof that these warnings were spot on.” To suggest that it is the collapse of many markets is the fault of the insurance companies themselves is absolutely ridiculous.
And another laughable observation on the structural and technical problems of Obamacare: “The subsidies were not generous enough. The penalties for not getting insurance were not stiff enough. And we don’t have enough young healthy people in the exchanges,” essentially blaming everyone else for the failures. The insurance companies didn’t offer cheaper enough plans. The taxpayer didn’t pay enough in penalties/fines/taxes. Too many sick people and too few healthy people enrolled. The solution: offer more government money, paid for by extracting more penalties/fines/taxes for those who chose not to purchase insurance, and spend more money trying to convince more healthy people to buy trust Obamacare and buy into the exchanges. You can’t make this up.
What’s more, many of the same champions of Obamacare are not calling for even more drastic, government-centered, expensive alternatives. “On Sept. 15, Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon, introduced a resolution calling for a public option. The measure now has 32 co-sponsors, including the top Senate Democrats: Harry Reid of Nevada, Chuck Schumer of New York and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois.”
The public option could take a couple of different forms. One would be a government sponsored health plan available as an option in every market. The other option would be that a single payer option, championed by Sanders, which would be essentially Medicare for all. Unfortunately, such ideas would only compound the problem, which, as its root, is money.
Any public option would drive up medical costs, and Obamacare now is financially unsustainable. A government sponsored plan “would have an unfair advantage if it both regulates and competes with private plans,” while a single-payer plan would be even more egregiously expensive as it would shoulder the costs for everything.
While completely repealing Obamacare is probably not a viable solution or possibility anymore, other changes such as making insurance portable across state lines, widening the use and availability of health savings account should also be explored, not shunned. Merely throwing more money after bad money will only worsen Obamacare for everyone.
