We interrupt the discussion of hair to bring word of an actual issue...
Unlike John Edwards, who would immediately roll back Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, Obama would leave them in place until they expired at the end of 2010. That's two more years of tax injustice, two more years of rich people getting money they don't need, money that could be going toward social programs. Is this his idea of consensus? Isn't economic justice worth fighting for?
More important, perhaps, is what his position would mean for the most important domestic issue. Like Edwards, Obama plans to use increased tax revenue to fund health care reform.
The additional revenue needed to fund the up-front investments in technology and to help people who cannot afford health insurance is more than covered by allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for people making more than $250,000 per year, as they are scheduled to do.
Do you get it, people? This means that Obama couldn't get health care reform passed until 2011 at the earliest. He probably couldn't even introduce it until then. Otherwise he would be trying to fund his plan with money that wasn't yet availaible. (Notice, as well, that Obama would leave in place Bush's taxes for those making between 200 and 250 K a year.)
I prefer Edwards's approach: tax justice and health care reform in Year One.
Maybe we ought to, I don't know, start paying attention to the candidates' positions on the issues--or is that just silly?
UPDATE: From a speech, Obama gave last week in Iowa:
To help pay for all this, we will ask all but the smallest businesses who don’t make a meaningful contribution today to the health care coverage of their employees to do so by supporting this new plan. And we’ll also allow the temporary Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to expire.
Crossposted at Daily Kos
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That's a pretty solid reason
That's a pretty solid reason to prefer Edwards over Obama.
__________________________Dear david mizner. . . . . .
Dear david mizner. . . . . .
I am not surprised. I offer a snippet from Mitt Romney; Money, Media, Majesty, a French Connection. Democrats?
You may also find this recently published article in Fortune Magazine interesting.
For me, Edwards health care plan is not truly universal. Historically, purchasing a health care plan was beyond my means. I think true universal health care does not mandate that we all buy what is offered in other countries.
Edwards has some fine qualities and ideas. Nonetheless, I wish he would go as far as Kucinich has. Congressman Kucinich is the only candidate willing to insure us all, universally.
__________________________It is only the giving that makes us what [who] we are.
~ Ian Anderson. Jethro Tull
Betsy L. Angert
BeThink.org
Ted Kennedy has also called
Ted Kennedy has also called for a plan that extends Medicare coverage to the general population, but I don't think we will ever see a not for profit single payer system because the medical community would fight it tooth and nail. The AMA is still a very powerful lobby and they would pull out all stops. They do not want the government determining what they can charge for services. In fact if you were to call around indiscriminately to physicians in your area asking if they are seeing new patients I bet their first question is are you on Medicare and if your answer is yes many will tell you they are not seeing new Medicare patients. Insurance companies are definitely a large part of the healthcare problem, but so is the lack of any reasonable cost containment on the part of the medical providers and Big Pharma. To fix this problem they all have to take a hit.
__________________________Work and struggle and never accept an evil that you can change -- Andre Gide
Dear Kerry . . . I have long
Dear Kerry . . .
I have long considered myself Don Quixote. I rarely consider a mission impossible. At times, I fear. I realize that is all that stops me.
When students shared they were too young to influence change, I offered I began rallying in protest marches while a Middle School student. At the time civil rights was but a dream.
Years ago, a friend and I were at Disneyland on Christmas Day. We were one ticket lost. Her children and another adult went in. We stayed behind, waiting in line for close to two hours. We were just shy of in, when the park closed. It was ruled too crowded. The friend was certain we would never get in. I did not give that possibility a thought. I spoke to a few and we were let in
People, even big business and Pharmaceuticals only have the power we give them.
__________________________It is only the giving that makes us what [who] we are.
~ Ian Anderson. Jethro Tull
Betsy L. Angert
BeThink.org