As Usual, Rob is Wrong

Rob (The Online Magazine...) attempts to belittle the tea partyer's protest today.  As usual, he's pretty much reading straight from the DNC's fax machine.

He says: "the health care reform bill specifically states illegal immigrants are not afforded coverage." 

• This is true, however, the bill includes no provisions for verifying legality of individuals.  When House GOP members presented an amendment to require the use of the system (SAVE) that employers are required to use to verify right to work here, it failed on a party line vote.  So, one can genuinely question why these provisions wouldn't be built into the bill, and their absence (willfully) suggests that perhaps Dems have no intention of enforcing this provision, thus making anyone who supports such a bill, a liar.
• While we assumed the white house was discussing the House plan, they are only defending their 2.5 page outline plan on the white house web site (remember when Republicans were lambasted for not having a detailed plan about some such thing this year?).  Jake Tapper reports that the WH is considering ther SAVE program and would explicitly deny coverage to illegals.  Maybe Obama listened to Joe Wilson?

He says: "The people DO want health care reform. It was a major plank that President Obama...blah, blah, blah."

• It may be true that people want health care reform.  However, it is painfully clear that the people do not want the kind of reform being presented by Dems in Congress and supported by Obama.  Despite a small bump in approval to 46% following this week's speech, a majority of Americans polled oppose Obamacare, and have since mid July.  Finally, by vast, vast, vast majorities, 79% of Americans like their current health care plan.  Of course, if they didn't why would Obama keep promising, "If you like you like your current plan, you will get to keep it."

He says: "And nowhere in any of the reform proposals nor in any of President Obama's stated plans does it call for increased taxes, save rolling back the Bush tax cuts to the rich."

• Whoooooaaaaa there.  That is still a tax increase.  Although it falls on the Democrats favorite group to rape for money, it's still a tax increase
  

Additionally, there are numerous proposals in Congress go after more taxes (the Cato Institute studies):

• Democrats propose eliminating health savings accounts, which allow people to save money for health expenses tax free.  83% of users of HSA's are low-middle income people.  Estimates are this would result in an additional $11B of taxes.
• Democrats are looking to get $210B in revenue by ending the deductibility of medical expenses if they exceed 7.5% of your income.  73% of these deductions are taken by people making less than $75k/year.
• Dems are considering raising taxes on beer (tripling it), on wine (quadrupling) and liquor (a 25% increase), as well as on sugar-sweetened beverages.  These kind of taxes hit poor and low-income people much more than they hit the "rich." Dems estimate they will get over $60B annually from these.

 So, don't believe what you read over there.  It's probably wrong.


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