More political commentary from the streets.

More Political Commentary from the Lower Level
We have a chance to become a stronger country with a social conscience if we take the new health care law to the next level and make it work. If we continue to point fingers and decry the evils of the new law the consequences can be dire. Already several states are grouping together in opposition to the law. Does this sound familiar? It should. Similar action by the states brought on the deaths of many Americans who ended up fighting each other over the opposition to the law.
Opponents are making statements that inflame the public just as before the law was passed. The statements are either untrue or are extreme exaggerations with only small bits of truth. In the end, all the opposition can be distilled to one poisonous product. The opponents do not want to give up any of their income to taxation.
This fact may be hidden beneath several layers of pseudo-economics and high-sounding rhetoric. If you hold your nose and dig into the pile, the core of the opposition is exposed: simple and immoral greed.
People who would otherwise respond in a good way to open and honest discussion are being manipulated and incited to loud protests by the deodorized pile of crap from the richest levels of our society. The only thing these rich people have to loose is a small percentage of their amassed income. They are isolated from the world of pain and suffering here at the bottom and, truth be told, they really do not care.


Forced insurance?
The requirement that everyone buy health insurance is a response to the opposition’s demands for non-government funding of health care. The forced insurance would not be needed if health care funding were provided as a progressive tax increase. There are several options for taxation that would spread the cost across several segments of the population with the heaviest taxes on those who can best afford it. I propose a 1% tax on incomes over $15000 A 1% tax on an income of $150000 is much less painful than a 1% tax on someone with $30000 annual income. The cost of living a basic existence is universal. For the $150000 income family, anything beyond a basic existence is a luxury made possible by the extra income. This means that a 4400 square foot home is a luxury. For the $30000 family a 1000 square foot apartment is basic existence. The high income family does not have to choose the 4400 square foot home. A slight reduction in living area can offset the 1% tax. For the low income family they have no options and the 1% tax can mean less food or no medicine for a sick child. This is the basis of the progressive tax that was the original configuration of the income tax. Implementing a progressive health care tax to fund the health insurance subsidy for poor people might eliminate the forced insurance in the new law.

Be thankful for the society that gave you the opportunity to succeed.
It is my opinion that those people who have been able to use their talents, skills, training or education to reach the top levels of income should be excited to support the system of government that gave then the opportunity to succeed. There are many places in the world where this level of success is not possible. No business person, inventor, writer, sports star or media celebrity could be successful if no one is buying products or tickets. The largest group of people is in the mid to lower income levels. Letting these relatively poor people live longer with more disposable income will increase economic growth more than letting a large portion of spendable income remain in the tight fists of a relatively few high income families.
One rich family may buy one $250000 houseboat for family vacations. For the same $250000, five hundred families can buy small sport fishing boats. The fishing boat factory has 500 employees and purchases supplies in the local community. The custom houseboat builder has 50 employees and most of the exotic materials used are imported from foreign countries. The benefits of spreading the wealth outweigh the Reagan-era trickle-down approach where each level on the way down siphons off a piece of the flow. Let us have some support for health care. We can continue to work longer and earn more to spend. Spending drives the economy. A booming economy will offset the taxes on the rich because the boom benefits them most.

PS: Give me a year of health care and a paying job I can physically do and I will shut up and go to work.