Obama: Government does own your income-hates the poor and sick too

by Skip

Well, Obama is certainly showing that he believes that Government owns all your money and will allow you to keep only what it wants:

Obama is going to let the tax rate cuts from Bush rise at the end of 2010.  We knew that going into his Imperialism.  Now, there’s more for details (details….really?  Finally?)

The other brewing battle will be over how to finance Mr. Obama’s national health insurance plan that will significantly expand the cost of government. His budget calls for cuts in Medicare payments to hospitals, insurance plans that serve older Americans, and prescription payments under Medicaid that critics say will result in cutbacks in health care services and facilities.

So, if you are elderly and sick, President Obama is saying "it sucks to be you!"  So, you really want to depend on Government for your healthcare?

Back to actual income – not only are the rates going up, but the effective rate is going to go up because the "rich" are not going to be able to itemize like you and me:

To help further pay for his universal health care plan, his budget also calls for cutting various tax deductions for wealthier Americans, including charitable contributions, interest on home mortgages, local taxes and other deductible expenses for those who itemize.

So, if the rate is going up to 40% for the richest among us in a formal way, it will actually be higher because of the lesser deductions.  So much for being fair – why not fair for ALL, President Obama?  No, I’m not at that height of income, but I want to be there someday.  But if I’m going to continually get whacked, why do I want to sacrifice to do that?

And you know that "cap and trade" program that he is gong to implement for CO2 emissions (industries now; in search for revenue, how much you want to bet that WE will have to one day too?  Wait until Obama get around to doing the same for oxygen too!).

A note about lessening the charitable deductions – I bet that this will end up like the yacht tax.  Obama and his cronies are assuming, in their budget estimates, that people do not change their behavior.  They do, and will stop being the "Sugar Daddies" for lots of deserving (and not so deserving) charitable services.  While many will continue to give, it will be interesting to match the total amounts.  As Dr. Brooks has noted, when taxes go up, charitable giving goes down.

And why not – "the government is doing it!"

The Law of Unintended Consequences – charities will be going toes up….or running themselves to the government teat to survive. What you incentivize, you get more of.  What you demonize, you get less of.  The signal that Obama is sending is that charities don’t deserve rich people’s support.

Yes, Obama want government to control all.

 

 

 

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  • mer

    Ah, charitable donations. It’s already changed my contribution behavior this year. My wife and I decided to make a list, we came up with local police and fire, NH state troopers, plus a couple of Veterans charities that we have donated to for at least 18 years. Oh and the Nashua Soup Kitchen gets some too.
    Everyone that gets money also gets “You are not going to call me again this year are you?”
    Everyone else gets the “Get it from Obama, he’s got all my money” treatment. Fun when the other end starts to splutter and give me attitude like they are entitled to MY money.
    I think that will be the pattern showing up: people donating locally, where they see more of their dollar actually helping.

  • Michelle M

    I share Dr. Moffets sentiment: Little Patient Empowerment
    President Obama’s health care budget proposal is large but surprisingly unimaginative. It depends on old-fashioned, populist, “soak the rich” tax hikes combined with technocratic tinkering with administrative payment and new software in anticipation of program savings. It does very little to change America’s flawed public and private third-party payment arrangements, where value is secured for “payers,” not individual patients. If the President wants to affect real change—and secure value for individual patients rather than third party payers—he should take concrete steps to transfer direct control over health care dollars and decisions to individuals and families.

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