Faced with a need to scrounge for revenue to fund his plan for health care, President Barack Obama and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus have come up with a brilliant new idea: Tax the sick!
In a new amendment to the health care bill, they propose to limit the deductibility of medical expenses on income taxes.
Now, taxpayers may deduct any medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of their Adjusted Gross Income.
Obama and Baucus want to raise that threshold to 10% as long as the taxpayer is under 65.
Eight million Americans are sick enough and poor enough that they have to pay more than 7.5% of their income in medical expenses. And it is these folks that the liberals Obama and Baucus plan to tax! Six million of them earn less than $75,000 a year!
For a family earning $75,000 a year and facing out-of-pocket medical bills of $7, 500, this proposal would cost them about $600 a year in extra taxes.
And let’s remember who it is that they are taxing. This proposal affects people whose incomes are so limited and whose medical costs are so high that they exceed 7.5% of their pre-tax income.
Their proposal literally hopes to raise $20 billion over ten years by taxing sick people.
The Democrats defend their proposal by saying that it would discourage health care spending. But nobody deliberately spends 7.5% of their income on medical costs unless they are pretty sick and needy.
Obama and Baucus have singled out the sickest among the middle class for this heinous tax. (The poor will not have to pay it because they are eligible for Medicaid). Originally, the Democrats continued their war on the elderly by proposing to tax everyone who spends more than the 7.5% threshold on medical costs. But they retreated when it became clear that six million elderly would be hit with the tax. Now they just sock it to eight million sic k, middle income Americans.
This tax, and their desire to cut Medicare and Medicaid by $500 billion, makes Obama and Baucus unlike any Democrats I have ever known. Democrats, at least when I worked for Clinton, defended the elderly and the sick rather than cut the former and tax the latter.
by Dick Morris
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Friday, October 09, 2009
Friday, October 02, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, March 10, 2008
As Goes California. . . ?
This is a post from a blog that I frequent. "Jamin" is a homeschooling Mom. She has put together an article that is jam packed with information about this very important current event.
The direct link to her blog is at the end of this post. Here is her complete article:
I looked and looked to try to find out where the saying "Where goes California, there goes the rest of the country." But, I couldn't find it. It does come to mind though with the recent news about homeschooling in California. I doubt there is a homeschooler in America who has not heard what happened last week in California. For anyone who doesn't know what is going on a California Court of Appeal recently decided that homeschooling is illegal in California unless a parent is a certified teacher. Right now more than 166,000 families are homeschooling illegally in California!
I have said it before and I'll say it again...I left my heart in California! I LOVE California! (If the cost of living didn't run our family out of the State I would still be there!) Leaving California was the biggest sacrifice I have made to be able to homeschool my kids. With all that said I can tell you the homeschool atmosphere in California has never been a friendly one. We started out homeschooling in California and homeschooled there a total of 5 years. I was amazed when we left California how much easier it was to homeschool in another State. (I am now homeschooling in my 3rd State and there is no comparison to what it is like in California.)
I can only speak for myself but I thought I would share a little of what it was like to homeschool in a less than friendly State. When we lived in California I was very hesitant to be out of the house during "school" hours. We didn't tell people we didn't know that we homeschooled. We loved our house because it was very private and our kids could be outside all day and no one would ever know they were there. I did not allow my kids to answer the phone or the door during school hours. I did not take my kids to the doctor or for haircuts during "school" hours. We didn't go shopping, out to lunch or anything else that would draw attention to ourselves. The only thing we did during the week was Bible Study at church (Which had a lot of homeschoolers.) If we went on field trips we went with a large group of other homeschoolers so we looked like a school group.
So why is it like this? (This is only my opinion.) The main reason I feel is because California has never dealt with getting homeschool laws in the State. Homeschooling has NEVER been legal in California! To educate your children at home each family had to set up a private school in their home. Yep, you heard me right! Each year we had to fill our an affidavit that we were operating a private school and would follow all the rules that governed private schools. Oddly enough, there are not that many things you had to do! Basically what was required was to fill out the affidavit, keep roll each day, and keep each child's immunization records on file. There was no required amount of hours you had to teach. There was no required curriculum. The only requirement was that you had something like 20 minutes of P.E. every 3 days. (I may be quoting that wrong, It has been 4 years since we left.) You did not have to be a credentialed teacher. Once all these requirements were met you were considered a Private Home Educator. If you called the school system and asked about homeschooling you would be told it was illegal. Several years when we received the paperwork to fill out our affidavits there was a cover letter attached telling everyone that homeschooling was illegal in California. Not very comforting!
The one thing I DON'T miss about California is the homeschool laws.
With all this said let me get back to my opening sentence. "Where goes California, there goes the rest of the country." I am sure there are a lot of people reading this thinking "I live thousands of miles from California, how can this effect me?" The thing to remember is that 1 out of 3 people in America live in California! This State has a LOT of influence over our Country! If the laws in California become even more hostile towards homeschooling then a presidence has been set for the whole Country. This also hits the news and suddenly your neighbor who has never known anyone but you who homeschools just has in the back of their mind that it's illegal....It is not a good idea to place in peoples heads!
Please don't think I am trying to scare anyone. I am just pointing out that we as a group cannot become complacent. Homeschooling for most of us is NOT under fire. But together we are much stronger. (United we stand, divided we fall.) I have seen this coming for years. (Really I have, you can ask my friend Faye! We have discussed it many times. LOL) I knew that at some point homeschoolers in California would have to deal with the fact that they were homeschooling around the laws.
Thank God for HSLDA! They are on the ball and they will not let this slide. In case you didn't know YOU can help. Please visit the HSLDA site and sign the petition to request Depublishing of California Court Case In re Rachel L. This is really much more than a homeschooling concern. This should be a concern for any person who wants parents in America to retain their parental rights.
If you want to learn more about this you can click HERE to read the information page about the court case at the HSLDA website. You can read the court opinion HERE. HERE you can read HSLDA's response to the courts ruling. HERE you can listen to the Focus on the Family broadcast on the case.
Please do take a moment to sign the petition. Also, and maybe even more importantly, please join me in praying for our fellow homeschoolers in California.
There is one ray of hope in the situation...Governor Schwarzenegger has vowed to protect homeschooling in California. You can read about it HERE.
LONG LIVE HOMESCHOOLING!
Just Call Me Jamin!
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jaminacema
The direct link to her blog is at the end of this post. Here is her complete article:
I looked and looked to try to find out where the saying "Where goes California, there goes the rest of the country." But, I couldn't find it. It does come to mind though with the recent news about homeschooling in California. I doubt there is a homeschooler in America who has not heard what happened last week in California. For anyone who doesn't know what is going on a California Court of Appeal recently decided that homeschooling is illegal in California unless a parent is a certified teacher. Right now more than 166,000 families are homeschooling illegally in California!
I have said it before and I'll say it again...I left my heart in California! I LOVE California! (If the cost of living didn't run our family out of the State I would still be there!) Leaving California was the biggest sacrifice I have made to be able to homeschool my kids. With all that said I can tell you the homeschool atmosphere in California has never been a friendly one. We started out homeschooling in California and homeschooled there a total of 5 years. I was amazed when we left California how much easier it was to homeschool in another State. (I am now homeschooling in my 3rd State and there is no comparison to what it is like in California.)
I can only speak for myself but I thought I would share a little of what it was like to homeschool in a less than friendly State. When we lived in California I was very hesitant to be out of the house during "school" hours. We didn't tell people we didn't know that we homeschooled. We loved our house because it was very private and our kids could be outside all day and no one would ever know they were there. I did not allow my kids to answer the phone or the door during school hours. I did not take my kids to the doctor or for haircuts during "school" hours. We didn't go shopping, out to lunch or anything else that would draw attention to ourselves. The only thing we did during the week was Bible Study at church (Which had a lot of homeschoolers.) If we went on field trips we went with a large group of other homeschoolers so we looked like a school group.
So why is it like this? (This is only my opinion.) The main reason I feel is because California has never dealt with getting homeschool laws in the State. Homeschooling has NEVER been legal in California! To educate your children at home each family had to set up a private school in their home. Yep, you heard me right! Each year we had to fill our an affidavit that we were operating a private school and would follow all the rules that governed private schools. Oddly enough, there are not that many things you had to do! Basically what was required was to fill out the affidavit, keep roll each day, and keep each child's immunization records on file. There was no required amount of hours you had to teach. There was no required curriculum. The only requirement was that you had something like 20 minutes of P.E. every 3 days. (I may be quoting that wrong, It has been 4 years since we left.) You did not have to be a credentialed teacher. Once all these requirements were met you were considered a Private Home Educator. If you called the school system and asked about homeschooling you would be told it was illegal. Several years when we received the paperwork to fill out our affidavits there was a cover letter attached telling everyone that homeschooling was illegal in California. Not very comforting!
The one thing I DON'T miss about California is the homeschool laws.
With all this said let me get back to my opening sentence. "Where goes California, there goes the rest of the country." I am sure there are a lot of people reading this thinking "I live thousands of miles from California, how can this effect me?" The thing to remember is that 1 out of 3 people in America live in California! This State has a LOT of influence over our Country! If the laws in California become even more hostile towards homeschooling then a presidence has been set for the whole Country. This also hits the news and suddenly your neighbor who has never known anyone but you who homeschools just has in the back of their mind that it's illegal....It is not a good idea to place in peoples heads!
Please don't think I am trying to scare anyone. I am just pointing out that we as a group cannot become complacent. Homeschooling for most of us is NOT under fire. But together we are much stronger. (United we stand, divided we fall.) I have seen this coming for years. (Really I have, you can ask my friend Faye! We have discussed it many times. LOL) I knew that at some point homeschoolers in California would have to deal with the fact that they were homeschooling around the laws.
Thank God for HSLDA! They are on the ball and they will not let this slide. In case you didn't know YOU can help. Please visit the HSLDA site and sign the petition to request Depublishing of California Court Case In re Rachel L. This is really much more than a homeschooling concern. This should be a concern for any person who wants parents in America to retain their parental rights.
If you want to learn more about this you can click HERE to read the information page about the court case at the HSLDA website. You can read the court opinion HERE. HERE you can read HSLDA's response to the courts ruling. HERE you can listen to the Focus on the Family broadcast on the case.
Please do take a moment to sign the petition. Also, and maybe even more importantly, please join me in praying for our fellow homeschoolers in California.
There is one ray of hope in the situation...Governor Schwarzenegger has vowed to protect homeschooling in California. You can read about it HERE.
LONG LIVE HOMESCHOOLING!
Just Call Me Jamin!
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jaminacema
Friday, November 23, 2007
Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863
We know that by his divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.
Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Libby Tarian
Just call me Libby. Libby Tarion.
What is Libertarian?
The libertarian, or "classical liberal," perspective is that individual well-being, prosperity, and social harmony are fostered by "as much liberty as possible" and "as little government as necessary."
According to Funk and Wagnall's Dictionary
lib-er-tar-i-an, n. 1. a person who advocates liberty, esp. with regard to thought or conduct.... advocating liberty or conforming to principles of liberty.
According to American Heritage Dictionary
NOUN: 1. One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state.
The Challenge of Democracy (6th edition), by Kenneth Janda, Jeffrey Berry, and Jerry Goldman
Liberals favor government action to promote equality, whereas conservatives favor government action to promote order. Libertarians favor freedom and oppose government action to promote either equality or order.
According to Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia
Libertarianism, political philosophy emphasizing the rights of the individual. The doctrine of libertarianism stresses the right to self-ownership and, by extension, the right to private ownership of material resources and property. Advocates oppose any form of taxation and favor a laissez-faire economic system.
According to Libertarian.org
While libertarians are a diverse group of people with many philosophical starting points, they share a defining belief: that everyone should be free to do as they choose, so long as they don't infringe upon the equal freedom of others.
According to David Boaz in his book, Libertarianism: A Primer, Free Press, 1997
Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others. Libertarians defend each person's right to life, liberty, and property-rights that people have naturally, before governments are created. In the libertarian view, all human relationships should be voluntary; the only actions that should be forbidden by law are those that involve the initiation of force against those who have not themselves used force-actions like murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and fraud.
According to Charles Murray in What It Means to Be a Libertarian.
(click here for a review of the book)
The American Founders created a society based on the belief that human happiness is intimately connected with personal freedom and responsibility. The twin pillars of the system they created were limits on the power of the central government and protection of individual rights. . . .
A few people, of whom I am one, think that the Founders' insights are as true today as they were two centuries ago. We believe that human happiness requires freedom and that freedom requires limited government.
The correct word for my view of the world is liberal. "Liberal" is the simplest anglicization of the Latin liber, and freedom is what classical liberalism is all about. The writers of the nineteenth century who expounded on this view were called liberals. In Continental Europe they still are. . . . But words mean what people think they mean, and in the United States the unmodified term liberal now refers to the politics of an expansive government and the welfare state. The contemporary alternative is libertarian. . . .
Libertarianism is a vision of how people should be able to live their lives-as individuals, striving to realize the best they have within them; together, cooperating for the common good without compulsion. It is a vision of how people may endow their lives with meaning-living according to their deepest beliefs and taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
(Read the first chapter here)
How about a Webster's definition:
Libertarian: A person who upholds the principles of individual liberty especially of thought and action.
Capitalized: a member of a political party advocating libertarian principles.
Libertarians believe in, and pursue, personal freedom while maintaining personal responsibility.
Libertarians strongly oppose any government interfering in their personal, family and business decisions. Essentially, we believe all Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another.
In a nutshell, we are advocates for a smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom.
Are Libertarians liberal or conservative?
Libertarians are neither. Unlike liberals or conservatives, Libertarians advocate a high degree of both personal and economic liberty. For example, Libertarians advocate freedom in economic matters, so we're in favor of lowering taxes, slashing bureaucratic regulation of business, and charitable -- rather than government -- welfare. But Libertarians are also socially tolerant. We won't demand laws or restrictions on other people who we may not agree because of personal actions or lifestyles.
In a sense, Libertarians “borrow” from both sides to come up with a logical and consistent whole -- but without the exceptions and broken promises of Republican and Democratic politicians. That's why we call ourselves the Party of Principle.
How large is the Libertarian Party?
In terms of political activity (i.e. number of candidates, access to the ballot, and elected office holders), the Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party in America. We’re active in all 50 states and have more than 200,000 registered voters.
What kind of offices do Libertarians run for and hold?
Around the nation there are Libertarian mayors, county executives, county council members and even a Libertarian sheriff! Libertarians also serve on school boards and in hundreds of local offices. In 2006 alone, over 13.4 million votes were cast for Libertarian candidates around the nation.
What is Libertarian?
The libertarian, or "classical liberal," perspective is that individual well-being, prosperity, and social harmony are fostered by "as much liberty as possible" and "as little government as necessary."
According to Funk and Wagnall's Dictionary
lib-er-tar-i-an, n. 1. a person who advocates liberty, esp. with regard to thought or conduct.... advocating liberty or conforming to principles of liberty.
According to American Heritage Dictionary
NOUN: 1. One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state.
The Challenge of Democracy (6th edition), by Kenneth Janda, Jeffrey Berry, and Jerry Goldman
Liberals favor government action to promote equality, whereas conservatives favor government action to promote order. Libertarians favor freedom and oppose government action to promote either equality or order.
According to Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia
Libertarianism, political philosophy emphasizing the rights of the individual. The doctrine of libertarianism stresses the right to self-ownership and, by extension, the right to private ownership of material resources and property. Advocates oppose any form of taxation and favor a laissez-faire economic system.
According to Libertarian.org
While libertarians are a diverse group of people with many philosophical starting points, they share a defining belief: that everyone should be free to do as they choose, so long as they don't infringe upon the equal freedom of others.
According to David Boaz in his book, Libertarianism: A Primer, Free Press, 1997
Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others. Libertarians defend each person's right to life, liberty, and property-rights that people have naturally, before governments are created. In the libertarian view, all human relationships should be voluntary; the only actions that should be forbidden by law are those that involve the initiation of force against those who have not themselves used force-actions like murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and fraud.
According to Charles Murray in What It Means to Be a Libertarian.
(click here for a review of the book)
The American Founders created a society based on the belief that human happiness is intimately connected with personal freedom and responsibility. The twin pillars of the system they created were limits on the power of the central government and protection of individual rights. . . .
A few people, of whom I am one, think that the Founders' insights are as true today as they were two centuries ago. We believe that human happiness requires freedom and that freedom requires limited government.
The correct word for my view of the world is liberal. "Liberal" is the simplest anglicization of the Latin liber, and freedom is what classical liberalism is all about. The writers of the nineteenth century who expounded on this view were called liberals. In Continental Europe they still are. . . . But words mean what people think they mean, and in the United States the unmodified term liberal now refers to the politics of an expansive government and the welfare state. The contemporary alternative is libertarian. . . .
Libertarianism is a vision of how people should be able to live their lives-as individuals, striving to realize the best they have within them; together, cooperating for the common good without compulsion. It is a vision of how people may endow their lives with meaning-living according to their deepest beliefs and taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
(Read the first chapter here)
How about a Webster's definition:
Libertarian: A person who upholds the principles of individual liberty especially of thought and action.
Capitalized: a member of a political party advocating libertarian principles.
Libertarians believe in, and pursue, personal freedom while maintaining personal responsibility.
Libertarians strongly oppose any government interfering in their personal, family and business decisions. Essentially, we believe all Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another.
In a nutshell, we are advocates for a smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom.
Are Libertarians liberal or conservative?
Libertarians are neither. Unlike liberals or conservatives, Libertarians advocate a high degree of both personal and economic liberty. For example, Libertarians advocate freedom in economic matters, so we're in favor of lowering taxes, slashing bureaucratic regulation of business, and charitable -- rather than government -- welfare. But Libertarians are also socially tolerant. We won't demand laws or restrictions on other people who we may not agree because of personal actions or lifestyles.
In a sense, Libertarians “borrow” from both sides to come up with a logical and consistent whole -- but without the exceptions and broken promises of Republican and Democratic politicians. That's why we call ourselves the Party of Principle.
How large is the Libertarian Party?
In terms of political activity (i.e. number of candidates, access to the ballot, and elected office holders), the Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party in America. We’re active in all 50 states and have more than 200,000 registered voters.
What kind of offices do Libertarians run for and hold?
Around the nation there are Libertarian mayors, county executives, county council members and even a Libertarian sheriff! Libertarians also serve on school boards and in hundreds of local offices. In 2006 alone, over 13.4 million votes were cast for Libertarian candidates around the nation.
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