Union Health Plans not Taxed in Deal with White House

[Business_Casual]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/...ons/index.html

The tax on what have been dubbed "Cadillac" health care plans is a key feature of the Senate health care bill, but it has drawn opposition from Democrats in the House of Representatives and from unions. President Obama, who has made health care his top priority in Congress, supports the excise tax as a way to contain the rise of health-care costs.

Trumka and other top union officials have held a series of talks at the White House for the past three days as congressional negotiators tried to merge the two bills together. He warned earlier this week that congressional Democratic candidates could risk losing labor's support if the final bill included a tax on high-cost health plans.

Welcome to Obama's Hope and Change

[HES]

Ok show of hands that didnt expect this? Come on November. Oh and Dems, keep it up. You are doing a great job for the Republicans

[John_Wayne777]

...so it's a "cadillac" plan and unamerican UNLESS you happen to belong to a union, in which case it's your god-given right and shouldn't be touched.

Yet more "social justice" courtesy of redistributionist dingbats.

[BiggLee71]

Originally Posted by HES

Ok show of hands that didnt expect this? Come on November. Oh and Dems, keep it up. You are doing a great job for the Republicans

Bro, you are so right. The Republicans may not even have to campaign!!!

[variablebinary]

Obama has been giving away deals to unions from day one. This should not be a shocker to anyone

And this is the problem with everything he does, its all special intrests oriented instead of being sound policy

[John_Wayne777]

With all due respect, it's what's wrong with our entire modern theory of government. When government is in the business of taking money from one group to redistribute to another group the whole exercise becomes about protecting your stuff as much as possible while seeking to take as much as you can from everybody else.

[RogerinTPA]

Just another log on the fire of failure as far as I'm concerned. This BS should provide more motivation to vote for anyone but a Dem, in every election coming down the pipe.

[variablebinary]

Originally Posted by RogerinTPA

Just another log on the fire of failure as far as I'm concerned. This BS should provide more motivation to vote for anyone but a Dem, in every election coming down the pipe.

I dont think voting GOP is a solution either. Our political system from top to bottom needs to be reevaluated. We are not what the founders intended.

[Business_Casual]

The GOP - as currently formed - is not the answer.

I heard someone describe it thusly: The GOP is an old time boxer and the Democrats are MMA Ultimate Fighters. Of course the GOP gets crushed.

There is also a tendency in the GOP to come to Washington and go along with the program. There are far too many Progressives/Statists/Plutocrats getting rich off of taxpayers with an (R) next to their names.

M_P

[Spiffums]

Originally Posted by variablebinary

I dont think voting GOP is a solution either. Our political system from top to bottom needs to be reevaluated. We are not what the founders intended.

You know the scene in Red Dawn where Jed and Matty and Robert go to the camp to look for their dad's. In the background you can here the Russian's tape saying "America is a whore house where the revolutionary ideas of your forefathers are perverted......"

It really hit me till a few weeks ago when I watched it again. They were RIGHT! Someone wayyy back in the 80s knew we were heading this way and it got in a main stream movie.

[RogerinTPA]

Originally Posted by variablebinary

I dont think voting GOP is a solution either. Our political system from top to bottom needs to be reevaluated. We are not what the founders intended.

Agreed.

Like someone said, there's not a dime's bit of difference between the two parties. What we need is a 4 or more Party system to give both the Dems and Repubs, a 4 year time out. In reality, this is a two Party system. The only choice we have to change both, is to elect people who represents our core beliefs, regardless of the party and shorten term limits, and ban folks who've already served. No career politicians allowed. Our system has evolved into, and as corrupt as, Roman politics, as far as I'm concerned. It will be interesting to see if the "Tea Party" evolves as a viable player, but I doubt it.

[chadbag]

Originally Posted by RogerinTPA

Agreed.

Like someone said, there's not a dime's bit of difference between the two parties. What we need is a 4 or more Party system to give both the Dems and Repubs, a 4 year time out. In reality, this is a two Party system. The only choice we have to change both, is to elect people who represents our core beliefs, regardless of the party and shorten term limits, and ban folks who've already served. No career politicians allowed. Our system has evolved into, and as corrupt as, Roman politics, as far as I'm concerned. It will be interesting to see if the "Tea Party" evolves as a viable player, but I doubt it.

It was actually designed to be a two party system, whether intentionally or not. Any time you have a winner takes all system you get a two party system as the losers band together to try and become the winners next time.

[chadbag]

Some commentators are pointing out that this new union deal is making it even easier to challenge the healthcare law (once it passes) in court. Equal protection is missing in this case.

[ForTehNguyen]

Originally Posted by eguns-com

Some commentators are pointing out that this new union deal is making it even easier to challenge the healthcare law (once it passes) in court. Equal protection is missing in this case.

as well as the tax uniformity clause

[chadbag]

Originally Posted by variablebinary

I dont think voting GOP is a solution either. Our political system from top to bottom needs to be reevaluated. We are not what the founders intended.

Given the system we have, realistically, the GOP is the ONLY choice. We have a 2 party system by design, whether intentionally designed that way or not, and I seriously doubt you will get any traction in a third party that can replace the GOP. You need to reform the GOP from the inside.

[Business_Casual]

Originally Posted by eguns-com

Given the system we have, realistically, the GOP is the ONLY choice. We have a 2 party system by design, whether intentionally designed that way or not, and I seriously doubt you will get any traction in a third party that can replace the GOP. You need to reform the GOP from the inside.

Agreed - but the people running it now are not able to see that need. No one acts against their own self-interest at party HQ.

Throw the bums out starts with Steele.

M_P

[chadbag]

Originally Posted by modern_pirate

Agreed - but the people running it now are not able to see that need. No one acts against their own self-interest at party HQ.

Throw the bums out starts with Steele.

M_P

Sure I would not expect Steele or any of the other "leadership" to attempt to reform the GOP. That is what the rank and file are for. Attend your local party conventions. Become a delegate. Vote on your local/county/state leadership and national delegates etc.

[R/Tdrvr]

Originally Posted by BiggLee71@hotmail.com

Bro, you are so right. The Republicans may not even have to campaign!!!

Especially since the Dem game plan is to run on the "Its Bush's fault" crap again for 2010.

Of course it might be hard for them to do that with Obama asking G.W.B. to help with the disaster in Haiti.

[Ridge_Runner_5]

Originally Posted by ForTehNguyen

as well as the tax uniformity clause

The problem there is that the bill actually statets "this tax will not be considered a tax"

[chadbag]

Originally Posted by Ridge_Runner_5

The problem there is that the bill actually statets "this tax will not be considered a tax"

I am not a lawyer etc but I doubt that that would pass muster in the courts and be seen for what it really is. And end run around the law.