Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Congressman Paul Ryan on the Real Cost of Healthcare Reform

Its not a pretty picture,  which shows that we will all be paying the premiums, but also the taxes to cover the costs.



Based on everything I have read, there will be a lot more people paying a higher cost in taxes then they figured. The key theme is, I have yet to hear if there is some buffer as to when the taxes begin. Mostly you hear its the single person making $200,000 a year or a married couple making 250,000 paying an additional 6% or more in taxes. It also includes taxing on investments. So essentially, unless I have missed that certain nugget of information, then you begin to pay for this at dollar one. Not at a later dollar amount after the pre-tax benefits come out like the (401K).

One other bitch I have about this is, for the last several years I have set money aside for a Health Savings Account all monies taken out pre-tax. Now, under the new law, that money becomes taxable income, even if I don't use and just leave it in the bank.

So unless there are some changes, more people are going to have to pay in, then anyone is letting on. Perhaps when the law is viewed in a greater clarity some of these issues will be resolved, but, so far from the early readings and analysis, I don't think that will happen.

We may be spending the next four years tweaking this bill to get it good in the short term, but it will need some major work to achieve anything close to what Obama and the Democrats are saying it will do for Americans.

From Politico

Monday, March 22, 2010

Best breakdown of some of the issues of the Healthcare Bill

This is the best breakdown of some of the myths attibuted by Obama and the Democrats with the facts right next to it. Wish I seen this sooner.























 
Go read Jane Hamsher's piece that accompanies this chart.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Obama Trying to Sell Healthcare to America




Based on watching this, Obama would have made a very good trial attorney, specifically a Plaintiff's lawyer.

He can say nothing while talking a lot.

Don't be fooled, he doesn't know everything that is in the bill and he wants the Slaughter rule to be used.

He wants to say in 2012 or at some point down the line, I didn't get a lot done or solve many problems, but I got Healthcare passed.

Ladies and Gentlmen, meet Obama's Legacy.

All done in the first 500 days of his Presidency.

Kucinich To VOTE FOR HEALTHCARE BILL

Doesn't like the bill, but will vote for it.

More later

UPDATE

Cleveland Plain Dealer report asked is there was a Quid Pro Quo - Kucinich fenced the question away. Leaves me to believe that he did get something in return.

UPDATE II

Still going to work towards Single Payer system.


"Bill is still flawed"
"Looking at the Bill as it is not as he wants it"

UPDATE III - PRESS CONFERENCE OVER

Some more quotes from Rep Kucinich:

A defining moment as to moving off of square one to get healthcare;

Its about creating jobs, keeping people in their homes - need to move off debate to get on with other items.

Was asked again if there was a regulatory deal like the Louisiana Purchase or a Nebraska deal for the 10th District or Ohio, he said no, this change in vote is "taking a more historic movement of moving the contry forward"


When asked about the way the Healthcare bill is being moved through congress he said "Doesn't like much about this process"

Final message from Kucinich - Doesn't want the Obama Presidency ruined because of Healthcare legislation.

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Downsizing the Federal Government

Saw this article by Chris Edwards listing six reasons to downsize the government and in light of the Obama's attempt to increase the size of the government and quite possibly the debt via the debacle known as the healthcare plan, I thought it quite timely.

1. Additional federal spending transfers resources from the more productive private sector to the less productive public sector of the economy. The bulk of federal spending goes toward subsidies and benefit payments, which generally do not enhance economic productivity. With lower productivity, average American incomes will fall.
 
2. As federal spending rises, it creates pressure to raise taxes now and in the future. Higher taxes reduce incentives for productive activities such as working, saving, investing, and starting businesses. Higher taxes also increase incentives to engage in unproductive activities such as tax avoidance.

3. Much federal spending is wasteful and many federal programs are mismanaged. Cost overruns, fraud and abuse, and other bureaucratic failures are endemic in many agencies. It’s true that failures also occur in the private sector, but they are weeded out by competition, bankruptcy, and other market forces. We need to similarly weed out government failures.

4. Federal programs often benefit special interest groups while harming the broader interests of the general public. How is that possible in a democracy? The answer is that logrolling or horse-trading in Congress allows programs to be enacted even though they are only favored by minorities of legislators and voters. One solution is to impose a legal or constitutional cap on the overall federal budget to force politicians to make spending trade-offs.

5. Many federal programs cause active damage to society, in addition to the damage caused by the higher taxes needed to fund them. Programs usually distort markets and they sometimes cause social and environmental damage. Some examples are housing subsidies that helped to cause the financial crises, welfare programs that have created dependency, and farm subsidies that have harmed the environment.

6. The expansion of the federal government in recent decades runs counter to the American tradition of federalism. Federal functions should be “few and defined” in James Madison’s words, with most government activities left to the states. The explosion in federal aid to the states since the 1960s has strangled diversity and innovation in state governments because aid has been accompanied by a mass of one-size-fits-all regulations.



 
One thing that I have always thought that once you begin to take out more money from the citizenry, then there is always less for them to make purchases and thereby creating an economy or in the current climate no economy.
But, it seems to me that at every level of government they just can't seem to understand that.


Saturday Afternoon



If anybody is looking for me, I will be here:




Flying around on this:

Finally, a dream come true!