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Post by macrockett on Jan 16, 2010 22:09:50 GMT -6
online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703657604575004992410621692.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop#printModeLabor's $60 Billion Payoff
A health tax that hits everyone except the Democratic base.
Democrats seem impervious to embarrassment as they buy votes for ObamaCare, but their latest move makes even Nebraska's Ben Nelson look cheap: The 87% of Americans who don't belong to a union will now foot the bill for a $60 billion giveaway to those who do.
The Senate bill was financed in part by a 40% excise tax on high-cost insurance coverage. The White House backs this "Cadillac tax" as one of the few remaining cost-control tokens. But Big Labor abhors the tax because union benefits tend to be far more generous than average, and labor leaders and House Democrats have been throwing a political tantrum for weeks.
So emerging from their backrooms, Democrats have agreed to extend a special exemption from the Cadillac tax to any health plan that is part of a collective-bargaining agreement, plus state and local workers, many of whom are unionized. Everyone else with a higher-end plan will start to be taxed in 2013, but union members will get a free pass until 2018.
Ponder that one for a moment. Two workers who are identical in every respect—wages, job, health plan—will be treated differently by the tax system, based solely on union membership.
Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO says this and other concessions mean the excise tax will raise some $60 billion less than the original Senate version. Democrats are probably going to charge investors for this political perk, by extending the 2.9% Medicare payroll tax to capital gains for the first time ever—on top of all the other taxes. Just what the economic recovery needs. Meanwhile, the extra five-year dispensation gives labor lobbyists plenty of time to negotiate a permanent extension for the Democratic union base, even as labor is being armed with an important new organizational tool: Eliminating the secret ballot in union elections might be unnecessary when unions have an exclusive tax privilege at their political disposal. Right-to-work states will also be punished because they are less unionized. The payoff shows that no one is doing a better job of rebutting the White House's technocratic cost-control claims than its own party. How exactly is the excise tax going to drive down premiums when a good part of the most expensive plans is exempted? The new union deal follows a similar one with Harry Reid that exempted the 17 states in which health costs are highest, plus longshoremen, construction workers, some farmers and sundry other liberal allies.
Amid the Beltway panic over Tuesday's special Senate election in Massachusetts and deepening public revulsion about sweetheart deals like Mr. Nelson's "Cornhusker kickback," it's more than a little surprising that the White House would be so tone-deaf to even contemplate a demand that is so contrary to basic fairness. But somehow Democrats have convinced themselves that the only tourniquet that will stop the political bleeding is to pass a bill that even President Obama admitted on Thursday is deeply unpopular. Democrats wouldn't have to pay these partisan bribes had they chosen to write a less radical bill that could attract Republican votes. But then they would have had to pass something other than this destructive and unaffordable exercise in entitlement politics.
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Post by Arch on Jan 16, 2010 22:25:25 GMT -6
Time to go buy an island somewhere and re-start society.
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Post by macrockett on Jan 18, 2010 11:13:41 GMT -6
Time to go buy an island somewhere and re-start society. I'm in. |
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Post by macrockett on Jan 18, 2010 11:14:12 GMT -6
Continuation of the above story re unions receiving special treatment as one of the largest special interests. www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0116edit1jan16,0,7143377.story chicagotribune.com More health care bribery
January 16, 2010On Thursday, Democratic leaders forked over the latest bribe in their push to land a health care reform bill on President Barack Obama's desk. This one's for the big labor unions, which opposed a new tax on the high-end health insurance plans many union members enjoy. Here's the deal:
If you're in a union with mega-sweet health care benefits, your plan won't pay that increased tax until 2018.
If you have the same health benefits but you're not in a union, sorry, you're out of luck. Your plan will shell out for the tax starting in 2013. Which means they will pass the cost to you.
That's right. Same benefits, but different tax treatment depending on whether you hold a union card.
It's a five-year tax break. It's grossly unfair. We like the idea of the so-called "Cadillac tax" as a way to curb health costs. The most lavish health coverage typically covers many tests, procedures and doctor visits with no co-payment or deductible. That doesn't make people healthier. It invites Americans to overindulge in health care they don't need, which drives demand and boosts the costs that we all pay. President Obama and White House budget chief Peter Orszag have been touting the Cadillac tax for months as a way to curb costs. But the deal Democrats cut Thursday aims at one thing: guaranteeing organized labor's support for the final health bill. It's narrow special interest politics of the worst kind. The unions win ... and everyone else picks up the tab. And that tab is expensive: The scaled-back Cadillac tax will now raise an estimated $90 billion over 10 years, not the $149 billion predicted in the Senate-passed health bill.Democratic leaders had to bribe at least two senators with a Medicaid windfall for their states, just to push the bill through the Senate. Now they're trying to reconcile House and Senate health care reform bills. They're on a hurry-up schedule because public support for this reform plan is cratering: It has sunk from evenly split to 55-40 against in just two months, according to Rasmussen polls.
The more people learn about the emerging bill, the more they see the backroom political deals needed to keep it alive, the less they like it.
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune |
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Post by blankcheck on Jan 18, 2010 11:58:32 GMT -6
My fingers are crossed that Brown gets elected tomorrow in Mass. That happens, you can
kiss this so-called health care bill good-bye.
Funny, I has responded to a Dick Durbin email a long time ago asking if I supported the health care bill. I respondid NO. Now, his office keeps sending me emails as a "Friend" of Dick Durbin. Believe me, I am no friend of his!!!
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Post by macrockett on Jan 18, 2010 15:15:15 GMT -6
My fingers are crossed that Brown gets elected tomorrow in Mass. That happens, you can kiss this so-called health care bill good-bye. Funny, I has responded to a Dick Durbin email a long time ago asking if I supported the health care bill. I respondid NO. Now, his office keeps sending me emails as a "Friend" of Dick Durbin. Believe me, I am no friend of his!!! Mine too blankcheck. As I posted in the other thread "deficits coming," regarding the scoring of the medicare bill in the late 60s, whoever was doing the scoring then estimated that medicare in 1990 would cost approximately $9 billion, if I recall correctly. The actual amount was about $112 billion. The current bill has so many assumptions, according to David Walker, that any conclusions reached about cost saving are questionable at best. Here is the link to the CBO "scoring" : www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/108xx/doc10868/12-19-Reid_Letter_Managers_Correction_Noted.pdf |
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Post by macrockett on Jan 18, 2010 15:16:21 GMT -6
A few days ago this story appeared in the Tribune www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-stateofthestate-t,0,3973808.story chicagotribune.com Teachers union fears not allayed by Quinn
Associated Press
2:03 AM CST, January 14, 2010
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.A major Illinois teachers union says Gov. Pat Quinn's State of the State address did not allay fears that schools and colleges might run out of money soon.The Illinois Federation of Teachers says universities and community colleagues are owed $850 million in state funding for the current fiscal year.
IFT President Ed Geppert Jr. says local school districts are considering a record number of layoffs. The union which represents 103,000 classroom professionals applauded Quinn after his speech Wednesday for reforms that have reduced the cost of teacher pensions.
And it says it supports efforts to raise sufficient revenue. Quinn has proposed an income tax hike.
Quinn won't unveil his proposed budget until March.
------ On the Net: www.ift-aft.orgCopyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ---------------------------------- I would say it's pretty clear what Quinn will announce in March if he gets the nomination...increase taxes to save state jobs. You can bet Quinn will have the unions working overtime for him too. Below are the two local teachers unions. Here is the IFT (Illinois arm of the national AFT) website: www.ift-aft.org/ (check out the pfd on pensions) Here is the IEA (Illinois arm of the national NEA) website: illinoiseducationassociation.org/These two, combined with a number of others, have tremendous clout in Springfield and Washington, DC. Unfortunately for most of us, their gain is our loss. Sooner or later, those pension and health care obligations are going to come to a head and unfortunately the unions have put me, and many others, in an "us against them" situation. I don't have a problem with the salary levels of teachers at this point. I part ways with them, however, on their never ending quest to get all they can when it comes to pensions and health care benefits. Both are simply way over the top. There is no actuary that can make those numbers work. As a CPA, when I look at the value of the future cash flow stream, based on the contribution teachers are required to make, it just blows me away. See Bob Zettler's numbers on the subject at www.championnews.net/pension.phpSo you can go right to the calculation I am talking about: www.thechampion.org/article.asp?id=6510Keep the pepto handy, you'll need it! |
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Post by doctorwho on Jan 18, 2010 17:55:10 GMT -6
My fingers are crossed that Brown gets elected tomorrow in Mass. That happens, you can kiss this so-called health care bill good-bye. Funny, I has responded to a Dick Durbin email a long time ago asking if I supported the health care bill. I respondid NO. Now, his office keeps sending me emails as a "Friend" of Dick Durbin. Believe me, I am no friend of his!!! I amhoping for this also but have already read one article that has Obama and crew working on a way to just have the House accepot the Senate version and worry about changes later - that way Brown never gets a vote. Obama et al sure has brought Chicago politics to D.C. The Pelosi/Reid express doesn't care that in a state that is overwhelmingly Democrat - Brown may take this election. Democrats are crossing over for this one vote as many of them do not want Obama-care also - but they will not listen -- they are the giant brains that know everything - especially what's good for us. I hope we ( the people) get out of this mess before it is instituted - but am less optimistic this will do it. How much will the Obama team offer to pay off one GOP member ? They had to pay some of their own off and werenot shy about it -- Nebraska and Louisiana being the worst two |
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Post by doctorwho on Jan 18, 2010 17:55:54 GMT -6
Time to go buy an island somewhere and re-start society. I'm in. maybe we can find the one Jim Morrison is on |
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Post by blankcheck on Jan 18, 2010 18:49:28 GMT -6
I'm sure ACORN is waiting in the wings:)
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Post by doctorwho on Jan 18, 2010 23:21:27 GMT -6
My fingers are crossed that Brown gets elected tomorrow in Mass. That happens, you can kiss this so-called health care bill good-bye. Funny, I has responded to a Dick Durbin email a long time ago asking if I supported the health care bill. I respondid NO. Now, his office keeps sending me emails as a "Friend" of Dick Durbin. Believe me, I am no friend of his!!! I amhoping for this also but have already read one article that has Obama and crew working on a way to just have the House accepot the Senate version and worry about changes later - that way Brown never gets a vote. Obama et al sure has brought Chicago politics to D.C. The Pelosi/Reid express doesn't care that in a state that is overwhelmingly Democrat - Brown may take this election. Democrats are crossing over for this one vote as many of them do not want Obama-care also - but they will not listen -- they are the giant brains that know everything - especially what's good for us. I hope we ( the people) get out of this mess before it is instituted - but am less optimistic this will do it. How much will the Obama team offer to pay off one GOP member ? They had to pay some of their own off and werenot shy about it -- Nebraska and Louisiana being the worst two GOP Senator Snow from Maine will be the next target to pay off for their vote... I hope next election the Dems lose their proverbial backsides at the polls over this Chicago style politics... |
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Post by Arch on Jan 19, 2010 1:28:40 GMT -6
If only the situation existed where it were capable to convince the electorate to just wash them all out to sea... but no, we have people too entrenched who will read their talking points memos each day to a group of fear-filled electorates who will just do what they are told to do come voting time because they found someone to listen to who makes them sleep better at night without ever understanding any real issue or facts of any situation. We need a reboot on a whole.
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Post by macrockett on Jan 24, 2010 19:19:00 GMT -6
On Meet the Press today, if you didn't catch it, there were two interesting segments. The first was an interview with Valerie Jarrett, one of the Presidents chief advisers. David Gregory asks her what the stimulus has accomplished in terms of jobs, etc. Listen to her response at about minute 2:30 of the 3 minute segment "We turned the economy around". I find interesting the groups she mentions. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/35045434#35045255 Next, listen to the segment "roundtable on 2010 political landscape" especially Chuck Todd's comments about discontent with and distrust of our "government institutions" at min 5 and min 15. That is definitely part of it imo, however, I would extend it to all institution, from government to Wall Street and beyond. All of these institutions were formed with good intentions but, imo, all have been turned into vehicles for self interest. When I get a chance I will clarify what I mean. I would like to know what others perceptions are. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/35045434#35045048 |
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Post by doctorwho on Jan 24, 2010 21:48:49 GMT -6
On Meet the Press today, if you didn't catch it, there were two interesting segments. The first was an interview with Valerie Jarrett, one of the Presidents chief advisers. David Gregory asks her what the stimulus has accomplished in terms of jobs, etc. Listen to her response at about minute 2:30 of the 3 minute segment "We turned the economy around". I find interesting the groups she mentions. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/35045434#35045255 Next, listen to the segment "roundtable on 2010 political landscape" especially Chuck Todd's comments about discontent with and distrust of our "government institutions" at min 5 and min 15. That is definitely part of it imo, however, I would extend it to all institution, from government to Wall Street and beyond. All of these institutions were formed with good intentions but, imo, all have been turned into vehicles for self interest. When I get a chance I will clarify what I mean. I would like to know what others perceptions are. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/35045434#35045048 OMG - does Valerie Jarrett think we are all stupid ? Teachers ( mentioned twice) and fireman have jobs due to the recovery act ? I really want to hear how.... what stimulus funds were used for them ? Is she kidding ? Turned the economy around ? Someone needs to tell the 'giant brains' in the Obama camp that they are not running against G W any longer - they are running against his own lousy record. Rhetoric doesn't fix issues -- as many people who voted this way are finding out. |
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Post by macrockett on Jan 24, 2010 22:35:43 GMT -6
On Meet the Press today, if you didn't catch it, there were two interesting segments. The first was an interview with Valerie Jarrett, one of the Presidents chief advisers. David Gregory asks her what the stimulus has accomplished in terms of jobs, etc. Listen to her response at about minute 2:30 of the 3 minute segment "We turned the economy around". I find interesting the groups she mentions. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/35045434#35045255 Next, listen to the segment "roundtable on 2010 political landscape" especially Chuck Todd's comments about discontent with and distrust of our "government institutions" at min 5 and min 15. That is definitely part of it imo, however, I would extend it to all institution, from government to Wall Street and beyond. All of these institutions were formed with good intentions but, imo, all have been turned into vehicles for self interest. When I get a chance I will clarify what I mean. I would like to know what others perceptions are. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/35045434#35045048 OMG - does Valerie Jarrett think we are all stupid ? Teachers ( mentioned twice) and fireman have jobs due to the recovery act ? I really want to hear how.... what stimulus funds were used for them ? Is she kidding ? Turned the economy around ? Someone needs to tell the 'giant brains' in the Obama camp that they are not running against G W any longer - they are running against his own lousy record. Rhetoric doesn't fix issues -- as many people who voted this way are finding out. The thing that sticks out to me Doc is virtually no stimulus funds are going to small business, which is in the business of creating jobs and primarily conservative. On the other hand Obama is saving, creating government employee who absorb tax dollars and create no jobs and are by and large supporters of the democrats due to their generous salaries, benefits and job security. That is a recipe for a spiral to the bottom. |
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