Despite Centrist Claim, People Support Taxing Rich On Health Care
One thing Beltway centrists exhibit regularly is a kind of reflexive belief that the public is generally predisposed to favor conservative ideas, no matter what people really think. Exhibit A is this quote from centrist Dem Senator Ben Nelson volunteering the idea that the public opposes taxing the rich to fund heath care reform:
“Tax is a four-letter word” with voters, said Sen. Ben Nelson. Even families not ranking in the top 1 percent of earners “hope they’re going to be there someday,” he said. “So they don’t necessarily think it’s fair.”
But today brings a new Rasmussen poll with some actual evidence of what people think:
A proposal has been made to raise taxes on those who earn more than $250,000 a year to pay for the cost of health care reform. Do you favor or oppose raising taxes on those who earn more than $250,000 a year to pay for the cost of health care reform?
48% Favor
44% Oppose
8% Not sure
Another recent poll found that 60% support taxing the wealthy for reform.
So if, as Nelson says, “tax” is a four letter word, the public doesn’t appear to think of it as an epithet when it’s applied to the wealthy in service of health care reform. What’s hard to understand is this reflexive belief that majorities must think the way conservatives do.
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We’ve been telling them that for some time and elected a president who ran on it. They are so tied to their own outlook they refuse to understand that the public doesn’t agree. Yet, the public told them that we don’t agree with much of anything they come up with – last November. They decided they just needed more of the same, louder, like that is going to change people’s minds; but it hasn’t.
And still they push the irrelevant, the unpopular and the flat wrong.
Why wasn’t there all this hype of the rich being the only beneficiaries of the Bush Tax Cuts? It’s ok to cut them, but not ok to raise them? Where’s the logic? Conservatives still rely on this “hypothetical” that cutting taxes for the rich is good for the economy. Oh really…well we cut the heck out of taxes for the rich over the last eight years, even did it while are involved in two wars, and yet we see what has happened to the economy haven’t we…and some of these guys wonder why they have ZERO credibility with most of the Country!!!
I make under 250k. Will I have to contribute to this in some way?
BigBob | July 17th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I make under 250k. Will I have to contribute to this in some way?
I also earn less than the 250k. I would be more than willing to contribute if I can participate. I hope we all would.
I make way less that 250K and I would be more than happy to contribute towards a program, as long as the contributions are scaled based on income…many of us are just about over it, with the over 250K crowd getting all of the tax benefits and yet always gripping about contributing to a program that would benefit everyone.
The majority of small busniess owners I know make a little more than $250,000 per year. I do not. But whatI do know is that this proposed legislation will in the end results lead to 1.) more unemployment as small businesses cut employees to cover the cost of insuring people not even in their employ, 2.) lead to high inflation as small businesses pass on this TAX to consumers, 3.) will be rife with abuse as every welfare case floods the ER with every little ache or pain, 4.) deminish the quality of medical care in this country in favor of the Democrats “Wal-Mart” philosophy towards health care. Funny, we hear NOTHING from the Democrats regarding the eligibility of illegal aliens in the proposed health care reform.
You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does noood to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”
It’s unfortunate but the current House bill will also impact the middle class. Anyone who doesn’t buy insurance would have to pay a new tax (2.5% of your income). There is a subsidy but if you’re a single person with income of $44,000 or higher then you would not be subsidized. The CBO says that for about eight million people, that gap is too big to close, and they would get stuck paying higher taxes and still without health insurance.
Higher taxes and still no insurance.
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/07/15/obamacare-taxing-the-uninsured/
So I wonder what the poll response would have been if they had asked “Do you support taxing single people making $44,000 a year to pay for the uninsured even though that might leave them without insurance themselves?”
This doesn’t even get into the fact that the CBO says the health care overhauls released to date would increase, not reduce, the burgeoning long-term health costs facing the government. And that the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs.
Reform was supposed to control the federal responsibility, not increase it.
Let’s please take our time to get this right and not rush something so important through Congress just so politicians can go on vacation with something to brag about.
Another interesting Rasmussen poll result: “Just 35% of U.S. voters now support the creation of a government health insurance company to compete with private health insurers . . . 50% of voters oppose setting up a government health insurance company.”
sbj | July 17th, 2009 at 11:36 am
“Reform was supposed to control the federal responsibility, not increase it.”
No, reform is suppose to balanced the inequities of the current system.
And slightly OT, why are these “Blue Dogs” called “centrist”? If they’re Democrats, why aren’t they taking a position that is in line with the will of the public? If they’re “centrists” why are they spouting a bunch of Republican rigemarole?
sbj: and a recent Quinnipiac poll showed 69% support. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a dip in support because the right-wing scaremongers have had the floor almost non-stop and the Dems have not fought back very aggressively. I expect this to change now that the WH has decided to take a more public role.
Nelson must be confusing “tax the rich” with the populist battle cry, “**** the rich.”
@we r all whatever: No, reform was supposed to cover the uninsured and control long term costs.
@SchrodingersCat: I don’t believe Obama is going to help out much unless he learns how to sell the product he’s pushing!
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/kausfiles/archive/2009/07/15/obama-as-health-care-salesman-he-sucks.aspx
“It’s also time, Obama tells his viewers, to lose weight, and stop smoking, and pull up your socks. Later on he tells people that they are foolish to prefer brand name drugs to generic drugs, and to want multiple medical tests. “If you only need one test, why do you want five tests?” Stop clinging to your tests! You’re worse than those people in Pennsylvania. Who knew we were electing a national mother-in-law? And get a chance to endure increased taxes for the privilege. Obama’s supposed to be rallying support from voters, not castigating them. Outside the S& M parlor, most people do not enjoy paying to be disciplined.”
I agree, sbj. He sucks at selling anything. Just ask the close to 4,000,000 people who contributed to his campaign.
@Cat dude: “unless he learns how to sell the product he’s pushing!”
He sold himself quite well. Health care reform is not going over so well right now. I think Kaus makes some great points and Obama would be well-served by listening and adjusting.
@Flagrante Delicto = The majority of small busniess owners I know make a little more than $250,000 per year. I do not.
Those are just the small businesses you know, remember that 95% of tax payers make less than $250K. This includes small businesses. This means there are fewer than 5% of small businesses that make more than $250K. Now when you consider athletes, actors, corporations etc… I think it came to about 2% of small businesses are in that category.
This is also why you are wrong when you say this legislation will be tough on small businesses. The ones under $250K (95%) will be either exempted or get tax credits. You are spewing out the GOP talking points without realizing they are wrong and one sided.
I’ll have to see what the plan is going to cover and all – and then do the math and see if my current plan is better. It sure is expensive now, and goes up each & every year.
I would still like to see outrageous litigation looked into. There are lawsuits that are justified (gross negligence etc) – and there are ones that are frivolous –
I asked my Dr about his insurance – like 20k for a family practice. He said, “if you’re delivering babies… more like 100k” – wow.
@sbj = It’s unfortunate but the current House bill will also impact the middle class. Anyone who doesn’t buy insurance would have to pay a new tax (2.5% of your income).
ME: Here is the problem, how do we force every American to participate in the program. If one person doesn’t do their part, everyone else will have to pay their bill when they go to the emergency room which is the problem we have today.
If I say to 50 people you must buy health insurance, 40 would gladly buy and the other 10 would either not buy it or wouldn’t keep up on the premiums which means the insurer would be forced to drop them. So how do we force those above a certain earning level to buy their own health care? Do we have cops start asking for license, registration, and proof of insurance and medical insurance card? Do you have any ideas?
We really need ideas from the right and not just criticism and negativity.
@chuck: Above my pay grade . . .
Fortunately winos don’t turnout the vote as well as taxpayers.