Obama would tax wealthy to pay for universal health care

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Tuesday offered a plan to provide health care to millions of Americans and more affordable medical insurance, financed in part by tax increases on the wealthy.

Bemoaning a health care "cost crisis," Obama said it was unacceptable that 47 million in the country are uninsured while others are struggling to pay their medical bills. He said the time is ripe for reforming the health care system despite an inability to do so in the past, most notably when rival Hillary Rodham Clinton pursued major changes during her husband's presidency.

"We can do this," Obama said in a speech in Iowa City at the University of Iowa's medical school. "The climate is far different than it was the last time we tried this in the early nineties." Source

So now we have at least 3 of the Democratic contenders in 2008 promising "Universal Healthcare", but none of them can agree on what "universal" means. Edwards wants to make it obligatory for all Americans to buy healthcare insurance and has a plan costing upwards of $90 Blliion; Obama wants to force all employers to offer health care insurance and plans to subsidize insurance for everyone else at a cost of $65 Billion a year. Hilary just promises she'll deliver it, but won't tell us what "it" is.

So, who you gonna believe? Apparently 2/3 of the American public think that the government should offer a National Health Insurance Plan for all Americans, even if it means higher taxes; seeing that we are the only industrialized nation in the world who doesn't provide health care for all it's citizens, I would say absolutely. The question is which plan would work the best? which gives us the most bang for our buck, so to speak. Most important of all, which candidate has the charisma, panache and power to pull it off and get congress to go along? Good question!

Taxing the wealthy? Isn't that the Democrats plan for everything?

Don't be surprised when you wake up one day and realize that by you making over $30,000 a year you are considered wealthy.

Tax the rich, tax the rich! I wonder where the Virginia Tech shooter got his hate of the rich from?

How about everyone pay for their OWN healthcare? Expecting someone else to take care of it is pretty pathetic.

Originally posted by RRconservative
Taxing the wealthy? Isn't that the Democrats plan for everything?

well, they do have the most to give. especially in a country where the CEO earn 450+:1 what the average employee makes (in countries less plagued by ignorance and crime it's about 20-30:1)

Don't be surprised when you wake up one day and realize that by you making over $30,000 a year you are considered wealthy.

ok, so you're going to throw in some hyperbole, it really proves nothing and shows that you really have nothing to argue on.

Tax the rich, tax the rich! I wonder where the Virginia Tech shooter got his hate of the rich from?

i'm creating a new law of the internet, modeled on godwin's law. i'm calling it the law of madness:


"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving the latest tragedy to occur approaches one."

How about everyone pay for their OWN healthcare? Expecting someone else to take care of it is pretty pathetic.

since when is health a commodity?

I'm glad to see that the three top Democratic nominees have a plan for this.

Personally I'd like to see a single-payer universal health-care system set-up,
but the only person who seems to want to do that really is'nt that viable, nor am I
sure he's even running.


I'll stick with Edwards, as he's the closest (I agree with him the most, but not completely)
as the candidate I'll be voting for.

You are glad they have a plan?

Their plans are incomplete and full of holes wider than John Edwards 30,000 sq.ft houes in North Carolina!

Obama plans to tax the wealthy? BS.
The elite protect their own.
It will be the middle class that will carry this burdon, despite the rhetorical 'promises' of Obama, Hillary, etc.

These rhetorical promises are coming from the same folks who said they would do something about gas prices in their first 100 days........!
Seen anything done yet?!
Universal healthcare may be something that will indeed come into existence oneday in the US, but at a price tag of over 65 billion a year, per Obama's estimates, can EASILY inflate to over 700 billion to a one trillion +. You keep thinking he and others are going to tax the rich....right. I pay enough as it is and if these folks had it their way, I will be paying more...for yours.....! I'll be damned.

What do you care? Are you WEALTHY?

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
What do you care? Are you WEALTHY?

I say that to Stormrider..

Originally posted by EastCoastKid

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
What do you care? Are you WEALTHY?

I say that to Stormrider..

I don't recall making any statement in my post that would lead anyone to believe that I support one plan over another; all I did was report the story and offer the question, which plan would work the best and which candidate could sell it to congress. And to answer your question, no, I am the farthest thing from wealthy, at least monitarily speaking. Why? Do I have to be wealthy to report what Obama said he wanted to do? Sheesh...

[edit on 5/29/2007 by Stormrider]

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul

Originally posted by RRconservative
Taxing the wealthy? Isn't that the Democrats plan for everything?

well, they do have the most to give. especially in a country where the CEO earn 450+:1 what the average employee makes (in countries less plagued by ignorance and crime it's about 20-30:1)

Don't be surprised when you wake up one day and realize that by you making over $30,000 a year you are considered wealthy.

ok, so you're going to throw in some hyperbole, it really proves nothing and shows that you really have nothing to argue on.

Actually, he does have a valid point. As the final drops are being squeezed out of the rich, what is their alternative?

To re-define "rich".

Don't think that would happen? Just look at how they raised the retirement age for SS.

Originally posted by jsobecky

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul

Originally posted by RRconservative
Taxing the wealthy? Isn't that the Democrats plan for everything?

well, they do have the most to give. especially in a country where the CEO earn 450+:1 what the average employee makes (in countries less plagued by ignorance and crime it's about 20-30:1)

Don't be surprised when you wake up one day and realize that by you making over $30,000 a year you are considered wealthy.

ok, so you're going to throw in some hyperbole, it really proves nothing and shows that you really have nothing to argue on.

Actually, he does have a valid point. As the final drops are being squeezed out of the rich, what is their alternative?

To re-define "rich".

Don't think that would happen? Just look at how they raised the retirement age for SS.

Thanks, jsobecky, I needed a laugh this morning and that was hilarious!
You were being facetious, right? Sarcastic? I mean, you don't really believe that garbage, do you?

First of all, "squeezing the last drop" from the rich would take a lot more than taxes, seeing that the rich pay much less tax, percentage-wise, than anybody else. Secondly, the whole notion of "re-defining" the term rich to include people making $30,000 per year is baseless neo-con propaganda, something that you and RR seem very adept at, BTW.

When the rich start paying their fair share of taxes and stop getting special treatment from Republican administrations, I may start to feel a little sympathy; but I dont see that happening, any time soon. Oh, and as for the reason they raised the retirement age for SS; that was due to the fact that SS was running out of money, due mostly to mismanagement by previous administrations, most notably the NIxon, Reagan and Bush I administrations.
Not that many rich people collect SS, mind you.

the government can't run anything why would anyone trust them with healthcare? so far they have failed to guard our borders and adress the illegal immigration problems and lets not even get into spending.. if these immigrants get amnesty will all you universal healthcare people have a different tune? can you say implosion? things are bad enough seeing we as a country and citizens owe 59 trillion in liabilites over the next 50 years, each american household would owe over 560,000 dollars just to clear what our miserable government got us into. seeing that amnesty for millions upon millions of people is being adovcated and negotiated behind closed doors and forced upon the american people the thought of universal healthcare in america is unfathomable to me.

on another note hillary is running her mouth again about how we need to think more about the community and society rather than individual prosperity. that woman is a raging communist and nothing has changed.


[edit on 30-5-2007 by ape]

Stormrider

Thanks, jsobecky, I needed a laugh this morning and that was hilarious!
You were being facetious, right? Sarcastic? I mean, you don't really believe that garbage, do you?

First of all, "squeezing the last drop" from the rich would take a lot more than taxes, seeing that the rich pay much less tax, percentage-wise, than anybody else. Secondly, the whole notion of "re-defining" the term rich to include people making $30,000 per year is baseless neo-con propaganda, something that you and RR seem very adept at, BTW.

It's fashionable to hate the rich, but that "working class hero" bit gets really tiresome after awhile. And you need to brush up on your stats about how much tax is paid by the wealthy:

85% of all Federal Income taxes are paid by the top 25% of wage earners
97% are paid by the top 50% of wage earners
The top 1% pay nearly 37% of all Federal income taxes

Source is data released by the IRS.

When the rich start paying their fair share of taxes and stop getting special treatment from Republican administrations, I may start to feel a little sympathy; but I dont see that happening, any time soon. Oh, and as for the reason they raised the retirement age for SS; that was due to the fact that SS was running out of money, due mostly to mismanagement by previous administrations, most notably the NIxon, Reagan and Bush I administrations.

I've already shown that they pay their fair share, and more. As for SS, you try to paint it's current failing condition as a fault of Republican administrations, when you know, or should know, that it is the entitlement mindset of the Democrats that got us into this mess.

And things will only get much much worse as they give away what's left of the country to the illegal immigrants.

Originally posted by jsobecky
It's fashionable to hate the rich, but that "working class hero" bit gets really tiresome after awhile. And you need to brush up on your stats about how much tax is paid by the wealthy:

85% of all Federal Income taxes are paid by the top 25% of wage earners
97% are paid by the top 50% of wage earners
The top 1% pay nearly 37% of all Federal income taxes

Source is data released by the IRS.

Mind posting a link to this "data"? I find your stats to be a bit...unbelievable, shall we say?

I've already shown that they pay their fair share, and more. As for SS, you try to paint it's current failing condition as a fault of Republican administrations, when you know, or should know, that it is the entitlement mindset of the Democrats that got us into this mess.

Right, sure; whatever you say. Those terrible entitlements. I'm sure you'd be just fine with eliminating every program set up to assist the poor and lower-middle class in this country.

And things will only get much much worse as they give away what's left of the country to the illegal immigrants.

What's left of the country? I didn't know part of it was missing. : Seriously, what does it matter, Bush is going to see that the borders between the US and Mexico & Canada are eliminated in the next few years, anyway. Then we can all be one big happy family of Amerimexicanadians. NAU, anybody?

Originally posted by Stormrider
Mind posting a link to this "data"? I find your stats to be a bit...unbelievable, shall we say?

I'll try to dig it out this evening.

I've already shown that they pay their fair share, and more. As for SS, you try to paint it's current failing condition as a fault of Republican administrations, when you know, or should know, that it is the entitlement mindset of the Democrats that got us into this mess.

Right, sure; whatever you say. Those terrible entitlements. I'm sure you'd be just fine with eliminating every program set up to assist the poor and lower-middle class in this country.

You don't know me well enough to say that. You have no idea what my stance is on entitlements, or the poor.

No need to start with the attacks; we can discuss this like two adults.

Seriously, what does it matter, Bush is going to see that the borders between the US and Mexico & Canada are eliminated in the next few years, anyway. Then we can all be one big happy family of Amerimexicanadians. NAU, anybody?

Please, don't even joke about that. It could come true!

This doesn't isolate federal income taxes, but it gives an indication of who shoulders the burden of all taxes in the US". There are a number of charts and graphs that give more data.

An enormous percentage of taxes are payed by a minority of Americans:
The Top 1% of taxpayers pay 29% of all taxes.
The Top 5% of taxpayers pay 50% of all taxes.

www.allegromedia.com...

Originally posted by RRconservative
How about everyone pay for their OWN healthcare? Expecting someone else to take care of it is pretty pathetic.

What about people that can't afford to? Should they just be left to die?

Honestly, we've become to entrenched with the centralized government mindset for my liking.

I'm sure there will be all sorts of plans and ideas for universal health care, but when push comes to shove, it should not happen unless extremely drastic things happen in the government.

Health Care is a service, much like Realtors, and as such should be the burden of the individual. That being said, we have a real problem that needs to be addressed.

Personally I WOULD support eliminating all federal programs aimed at redistributing wealth in any respect. SS, Welfare, Medicaid, farm subsidies, corporate handouts, etc, etc. This would include being fundamentally against any form of Universal Health Care.

I think anyone who has serious intentions of supporting Universal Health care in America (along with anyone else really), should have a list of priorities. That list certainly shouldn't have UH as anywhere near the top 5, seeing as we have problems with taxes and programs that need fixing right now before we add more midden to the heap of poorly executed government endeavors.

Originally posted by Alien42

Originally posted by RRconservative
How about everyone pay for their OWN healthcare? Expecting someone else to take care of it is pretty pathetic.

What about people that can't afford to? Should they just be left to die?

I agree with you to a point. People should not be denied health care treatment because they cannot afford it.

The question is, should the government get involved in fixing the problem?

The cost of health care in the US is high. We have some of the best hospitals and doctors in the world here. But the cost is skyrocketing.

A simple broken leg that results in a 3-day hospital stay could bankrupt many families.

The system needs an overhaul, and the bureaucracy needs to be trimmed, in order to reduce costs to where they are affordable. And private industry can always do things cheaper and better than the government can. Keep the gov't out of it, and let private industry fix it.

Oh, great, that's all we need. Damage the economy even more by stealing from the wealthy.

by taking money from my household income in the form of taxes, and giving it to someone for their healthcare, they are insinuating that this person needs this health care, and that it's in the national interest that they have it, aren't they? well, they also know danged well that their are many taxpaying families out there that cannot afford this expensive commodity who also are being denied this aid. and when this happens my friend, what they are doing is acknowledging that both are really in need, but then they are deciding who is worthy. and then to top it off, they will take some of the money of the unworthies to help those that they determine as worthy get the health care they need...
ya, great system, unconstitutional as all heck!!
either do something to ensure that all get this fabulous healthcare, or quit diverting taxpayer money into the system and watch the system stabilize and the costs drop to bring more customers into it. whichever you like...

[edit on 2-6-2007 by dawnstar]