Monday, September 21, 2009
|
|
Stephanopoulos Refers to Merriam-Webster to Prove ObamaCare is Tax Increase
|
|
Posted by:
Matt Lewis at
3:18 PM
|
Without a doubt, my favorite part of President Obama's interview yesterday with George Stephanopoulos was when Stephanopoulos pointed out that, according to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, ObamaCare is a tax increase (start watching at around 3:10 mark) ...
TRANSCRIPT (begins at the 3:10 mark on the above video)
STEPHANOPOULOS: ... during the campaign. Under this mandate, the government is forcing people to spend money, fining you if you don't. How is that not a tax?
OBAMA: Well, hold on a second, George. Here -- here's what's happening. You and I are both paying $900 bucks on average -- our families -- in higher premiums because of uncompensated care. Now, what I've said is that, if you can't afford health insurance, you certainly shouldn't be punished for that. That's just piling on.
OBAMA: If, on the other hand, we're giving tax credits -- we've set up an exchange, you are now part of a big pool, we've driven down the costs, we've done everything we can, and you actually can afford health insurance, but you've just decided, "You know what? I want to take my chances," and then you get hit by a bus, and you and I have to pay for the emergency room care, that's...
STEPHANOPOULOS: That may be, but it's still a tax increase.
OBAMA: No. That -- that's not true, George. The -- for us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase.
What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you any more than the fact that right now everybody in America, just about, has to get auto insurance. Nobody considers that a tax increase. People say to themselves, that is a fair way to make sure that, if you hit my car, that I'm not covering all the costs.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But it may be fair, it may be good public policy...
OBAMA: No, but -- but, George, you -- you can't just make up that language and decide that that's called a tax increase. Any -- if I -- if I say that right now your premiums are going to be going up by 5 percent or 8 percent or 10 percent next year, and you say, "Well, that's not a tax increase," but, on the other hand, if I say that I don't want to have to pay for you not carrying coverage, even after I give you tax credits that make it affordable, then...
STEPHANOPOULOS: I -- I don't think I'm making it up. Merriam- Webster's dictionary: Tax, "a charge, usually of money, imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes."
OBAMA: George, the fact that you looked up Merriam's dictionary, the definition of tax increase, indicates to me that you're stretching a little bit right now. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone to the dictionary to check on the definition. I mean, what...
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, no, but...
OBAMA: ... if what you're saying is...
STEPHANOPOULOS: I wanted to check for myself. But your critics say it is a tax increase.
OBAMA: My critics say everything is a tax increase. My critics say that I'm taking over every sector of the economy. You know that. Look, we can have a legitimate debate about whether or not we're going to have an individual mandate or not, but...
STEPHANOPOULOS: But you reject that it's a tax increase?
OBAMA: I absolutely reject that notion.
|
|
"The Associated Press is now chiding President Obama for falsely claiming that his proposed tax on uninsured people is not a tax. It is a tax increase, the AP says, and it would be enforced by the IRS: “Memo to President Barack Obama: It’s a tax. Obama insisted this weekend on national television that requiring people to carry health insurance - and fining them if they don’t - isn’t the same thing as a tax increase. But the language of Democratic bills to revamp the nation’s health care system doesn’t quibble. Both the House bill and the Senate Finance Committee proposal clearly state that the fines would be a tax.”
"The AP also notes that the Administration’s proposed health-care tax increases contradict “Obama’s campaign pledge on taxes”: “”I can make a firm pledge,’ he said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12, 2008. ‘Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.’ He repeatedly promised ‘you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime.’”
Joe Wilson was right to observe that POTUS has a problem with being truthful. And now others are seeing it as well. First Stephanopoulos, now the Associated Press. It does not bode well for POTUS. Is it worth another half dozen appearances on television for Obama? Will the Food Channel be interested for his appearance in a segment on Unwrapped? |
|
How many words can you use for tax, Lets see
Mr President
duty, tariff, tribute, contribution, asscessment,
levy,toll,revenue and tribute just to name a few
in English.....You still can not sell your public option Health Insurance. We do not want it! IT WILL COST TOO MUCH I guess you were not too good at arithmetic, but thats ok, We the people are good at it. |
|
Is mandating health insurance constitutional from the most basic and most popular phrase
...."the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness (read property)..."
By mandating health insurance and levying fines for those that are simply executing their right to choose....doesnt any see a problem with this? The fine becomes a tax because congress is not allowed to make any law that would take away rights.
issue one...mandating H.I. is a rights limiting act
Issue two, a fine is a fine only if its unlawful...so if congress is not allowed to make a law taking away a natural right to choose, then this would have to be a tax not a fine.
slippery slope folks. I think we need a 2 million person march not just on the WH but at event where the President is actually speaking to show the World what an a-- our president is. |
|
|
So Obama wants everyone to be responsible for themselves to get health insurance Right. OK, Then tell everyone on welfare entitlements such as medacaid to be responsible and buy their own insurance . So the rest of us taxpayers dont have to pay for their healthcare bill. And oh, also if the freeloaders dont want to get responsible and buy health insurance, then we will punish them with a fine of 3800. per family. no more freeloader healthcare, No more problem, No more waste, No more corruption. No more overbilling,etc. I'm sure us taxpayers could save billions with this great plan. This is what Obama wants to do right. Eliminate the burden on the taxpayer? |
|
|
The fact that Obama is allowing Holder to backstab the CIA , is an act of treason. The fact that Obama is allowing the safety of our country to be jepordized is an act of treason. The fact that Obama has turned off the water supply to our nations largest food Farmers in california is an act of domestic terrorism.The fact Obama has ignored threats from Iran and ignored requests for more troops in afganistan, Has put american lives at risk for terror. And nodoubtedly cost many military personel their lives. Obama is all the radicals he knows all wrapped up in one. He is americans #1 terrorist threat. |
|
First off, let's mention that illegals regularly drive without auto insurance, and they do not get into trouble for it. My father was hit by an illegal immigrant while vacationing out west a few years back, and the responding officer said that he could write all kinds of tickets out, but the guy would just go back to Mexico and nothing would come of it anyway. Is that going to be the attitude with illegals and health care too? You can bet they will get treated, and you and I will be expected to carry their burden.
Also, as I have mentioned, my uninsured child needed hospitalization a few years ago, and my former husband and I made payments until the bill was paid off. We did not stick anyone else with the bill, and I am sure others have found themselves in this position too. Who are all of these people sticking us with the bill? Are they regular working Americans--somehow I doubt it.
I agree with the poster thas said it would be nice if government did not pass any laws that burdened the rest of us! |
|
SEZ JENNIFER:
"kbTexan --
I'm sure you don't know what you're talking about. SNL has made a franchise out of rightwing buffoonery (Palin, Boehner, Sanford, Bush, Cheney are all main sources of great send-ups)."
SEZ ME:
And your point would be?
Your comment has absolutely nothing to do with my comment. This administration is still like a bad SNL skit. |
|
SEZ SJA:
"I am so tired of everyone comparing this mandatory health care tax to auto insurance. First of all you do not need to have auto insurance to obtain a license and you do not need to purchase insurance if you chose not to own a car. Under the guidelines set forth with this plan you will pay a mandatory tax (penalty) even if you never go to a doctor."
SEZ ME:
On top of that, the auto insurance laws are STATE LAWS, not federal. BIG difference. And that's where the health care debate (and abortion debate, and gay marriage debate) should be happening. This is totally out of bounds for the federal government.
|
|
|
It can't be jordan, aka kimberly, aka rachel, aka ralei, etc. No childish neologisms in jennifer's posts. |
|
Jordan has stuck out and Jennifer is now at the plate with a new schtick.
Jordan! Come out and show yourself so we know for sure. |
|
|
That should say medicaid, not medicare. (Even though I oppose both programs, they are not exactly alike.) |
|
"What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you any more than the fact that right now everybody in America, just about, has to get auto insurance. Nobody considers that a tax increase. People say to themselves, that is a fair way to make sure that, if you hit my car, that I'm not covering all the costs."
There are so many things wrong with this, I don't know where to begin. First, most states only require liability coverage for the auto you are insuring. His health insurance plan would be akin to making every driver (even if they don't own a car) purchase not only liability but also collision and comprehensive coverage. Second, what about the thirteen no fault insurance states, where do they fit in his scheme? Lastly, he says "not have people carrying your burdens for you"? What do you call welfare, medicare, farm subsidies, subsidies for anyone making under $88,000 to buy health insurance, etc, etc, etc? I would be ecstatic if Congress never passed laws that caused some people to carry the burdens of others! |
|
|
is #1 on the list of books for this administration to have burned. |
|
|
actually I'm the son of a plumber. We DEFINITELY don't partake. But I did see a lot of liberals feasting though. |
|
Have you seen the new ad asking folks to tell congress to KEEP their hands OUT of our pockets, referring to Barry's health care tax. It's a good ad.
Tax it is. No one likes taxes. More impotence from Barry and his cronies. This ad should be as effective as the death panel language! |
|
|
Her last post proves she is full of shite.Don't you dare warn her about the yellow snow either. |
|
|
I'm willing to bet you know firsthand why that baby ruth isn't what it seems. |
|
|
please go back to your sandbox. But don't eat the Tootsie Rolls and Baby Ruths. |
|
|
I'm sure you don't know what you're talking about. SNL has made a franchise out of rightwing buffoonery (Palin, Boehner, Sanford, Bush, Cheney are all main sources of great send-ups). |
|
And his appeasement of all things rightwinged, as well. President Obama said it well when he pointed out that Steph's need to look up the word showed he didn't have a leg to stand on.
The President said it quite well when he suggested that every single thing the right has against his administration is teabagged under taxes and socialism. They know of no other way to categorize Democratic leadership without lying it into either pigeon hole of spoon fed ignorance. |
|
|
This administration is like a bad SNL skit. |
|
1. A tax is not a tax if Obama doesn't view it as a tax.
2. ACORN isn't an issue if Obama doesn't know that they receive large sums of money from the government.
3. The 9/12 event featuring "hundreds of thousands" of ordinary Americans was insignificant because Obama said he was unaware of the event.
This is the verbal sleight of hand that might have worked for Obama during an emotionally charged campaign, but the people expect results from the president, not campaign rhetoric. If Obama actually believes he can just dismiss an issue by a simple declaration of "I wasn't aware of that," he is more naive than I thought.
Old Number 7 and the Downtown Express are headed in opposite direction on the same track. The train wreck of a bad economy, an angry public, a failure in the Middle East, crumbling relations in Europe, a nuclear Iran, a completely unpredictable North Korea and a Russian resurgence is going to be ugly indeed.
And right there in the middle of the track is the absent-minded conductor, Barack Obama.
|
|
hahahahahahahahahhhhahah
Now that was funny!
Sure bubbie, whtever you say!
"Nyuck" |
|
“STEPHANOPOULOS: But you reject that it’s a tax increase?
OBAMA: I absolutely reject that notion.”
From p. 169 of H.R. 3200, as amended:
“SEC. 59B. TAX ON INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT ACCEPTABLE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. (a) TAX IMPOSED.—In the case of any individual who does not meet the requirements of subsection (d) at any time during the taxable year, there is hereby imposed a tax equal to 2.5 percent of the excess of — (1) the taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income for the taxable year, or (2) the amount of gross income specified in section 6012(a)(1) with respect to the taxpayer.”
POTUS is full of notions and notions do not stand up well to close scrutiny. |
|
"this is awesome!
I love watching conservatives PRAISING George Stephanopoulos!
One can only hope this trend continues!!!!!!"
I hope it continues too!!!
It's generally referred to as "eating your own"
And it never turns out well for "your own".
And who is "praising" Stephy? Any time he sits down with Barry we only see him as the favorite for the betting line so we know what kind of points to lay on Barry.
It's as American as apple pie!!
|
|
|
Conservative praise of Stephanopoulos pales in comparison to the conservative praise of Hillary Clinton during the campaign. It's really nothing to get worked up about, as prone to excitability as you might be. |
|
|
This little snippet is just as funny as all those ACORN sting videos. Obozo really shows his... stuff. Thanks for posting it! |
|
According to Obamalogic, being compelled to send $$ to Washington is not a tax if you have to use a freakin' DICTIONARY to prove it?
|
|
I love watching conservatives PRAISING George Stephanopoulos!
One can only hope this trend continues!!!!!!
|
|
All through the campaign (and even beyond), we heard (those of us who actually listened rather than get hypnotized by the melodious tone of his voice) Obama say that "words have meaning."
Suddenly he's confronted with a very simple and straightforward meaning for an action, and the word fits the duck test. He not only contends it but calls it a stretch.
It'd be funny if it weren't going to be so expensive. |
|
|
Obama has to find money somewhere. They are already planning to soak the rich, now they have to get the middle class and below somehow. They will force everyone to pay for obamacare and Obama and the Dems will simply make the illegals legal. That way Obamacare will cover them and they will pick up around 20 million votes. Not a bad start. Then they will tax everyone on miles driven plus get the added benefit of tracking everyone's movements. Next will be a tax on heating and cooling residences. This is just the beginning. |
|
|
grant recepients would buy Obambi's argument. |
|
|
These families pay for these premiums whether the feds help or not and then go to use the insurance and..... the 1st appointment is 6 months out and....... once they get there they have a copay, and...... for every prescription they have there is a copay, and........ the doc say if you don't quit smoking or lose weight that you be put into a high risk group and that it will cost you even more money (that you never had in the fist place). |
|
|
....while you're in there, cna we finally find out what the meaning of "is" is.....? |
|
I would strongly advocate to conservatives in the Media/GOP elected officials that they stress three very simple messages:
(1) The Individual Mandates need to be opposed and need to be the center piece of the opposition message - they are the most political unpopular feature of the Obamacare plan and they hold the whole scheme. Simply put, there is no government takeover without Mandates.
(2) Health Insurance Companies need to be called out for receiving Bailout money and a Monopoly Market. Health Insurance execs are politically unpopular and this would put the GOP/Opponents on the side of the people and not the special interests. We conservatives have a responsibility to defend the concept of insurance and free markets but not the current government and special interest distorted market.
(3) Obamacare is a corrupt bargain that benefits big government, powerful Washington politicians, big union, and big companies/industry at the expense (once again) of the taxpayer, small business, the elderly, and the young.
|
|
Clearly, the Individual Mandate is a gross violation of our liberty and an Unconstitutional Tax – in essence the government is giving no choice in how you get to take care of your own body. These Mandates force everyone in the country into insurance plans that are designed by the Federal Government thus giving them control over everyone's choices. Mandates also fund the whole plan since they force young and healthy citizens or citizens who prefer to self insure to buy expensive policies that really don’t need and won’t likely use and employers to pay huge taxes (yes, in a lot of cases health insurance make no economic sense and nobody should be forced to buy a product or service they don’t need.) This is a stealth tax on the young and healthy by the government. It allows the politicians to continue to shift the costs of the bankrupt Medicare/Medicaid program by continuing the practice of allowing providers to overcharge private consumers/insurance to make up for those programs payment shortfalls (this will get worse too as there are 500 billion in Medicare cuts in the plan too). The Individual Mandates are also the "carrot" that keeps the insurance industry on board with the scheme since they give them millions and millions of new customers – it is basically another big industry bailout (big Health Insurance companies are in great financial distress since they lost heavily in last year’s market collapse and have a disproportionate number of aging “baby-boomer” customers who are getting older and sicker thus more costly – 80 million of their 135 million customers are between the ages of 50-65 years old).
|
|
Let's see some troll try to defend this.
At one time, I even thought Barry was smart enought to stay out of traps like this.
Way out of his league.
President or not, Stephy is not going to let
Barry forget that while Barry flailed around brown nosing the Chicago elite as an organizer, Stephy was already an important member of the Clinton Admin.
Expect a few more jabs like this in the future. |
|
The common thread in all of the so-called "compromise" or bi-partisan plans is the Individual Mandate to force people to buy government dictated health insurance. This needs to be the focus for conservatives now!
Particularly, Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate need to understand this as many of the “compromise” plans being discussed contain all of these elements. They need to be forced to go on record as not only opposing the “government option” but these Employer/Individual Mandates too before they fall into the trap of thinking they are acceptable and not government run health care. The “free rider” argument makes little sense too as an excuse for conservatives to fall for supporting the Individual Mandate - we should not accept this excuse from our elected representative. Basically, the total amount of uncompensated care by the uninsured equates to about 3% of total health care spending in this country. This is a very small cost to pay to keep our own individual liberty and choices as a free people.
Individual Mandates to buy private insurance sound like a “free market” solution and “individual responsibility” but in this context they are not – they are simply a front for a government run system. Again, the common thread in every liberal/statist health care bill is the Individual Mandate. To see it in action, look no further then how these Mandates in MA work to give government full control and to skyrocket costs. Many conservatives can be easily fooled by this faux “private” front (Mitt Romney was) – there needs to be united conservative opposition to Mandates now!
|
|
This is a very dangerous period because Nationalization will still occur even without an overt government run insurance plan like this "public option" provision everyone keeps fixating on - everything else contained in the plan is just as dangerous and is not being discussed in any kind of a targeted manner.
Here are the core elements what will be contained in the “health care reform compromise” after the so-called “public option” is in all likelihood dropped; both the Bacus and Wyden-Bennett bill contain all of these items:
(a) Federal Regulation aka HEALTH CZAR/DEATH PANELS/RATIONING
(b) Employer/Individual Mandates aka NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE
(c) Government Subsidies aka MIDDLE CLASS MEDICAL WELFARE
With the Federal Government setting the rules, forcing everyone to participate, and is paying the bills for most of the middle class through subsidies how is this anything other than Nationalization?
And it’s clearly a government take-over of health care – only the names are changed to make us feel better about the arrangement. Since the government will be controlling the market and setting the terms, health insurance companies will essentially quasi-governmental agencies that get to administer the plan. They will be controlled in the same manner as GM or CITIGROUP and will be private in name only.
|
|
It's difficult to watch the leader of the free world struggle with even softball interviews.
|
|
|
Obama and his minions have emptied the treasury vaults, are printing money like it is cheap wallpaper, gave away trillions of dollars with little or no accountability, and continue to throw this monopoly money around like people around the world are buying it. We are broke. Our credit rating is similar to a third world country. Obama blames it on Bush. I blame it on both of them with the lion's share of the blame going to Obama. |
|
And of course the latest is the Health Care Reform that America has been screaming for?? Who?? That now has opponents and we are the "unAmerican nazis".
The good news? AMERICA IS FINALLY WAKING UP TO THIS FACHIST AND HIS MINIONS! Please make sure all of your friends and family help fight for this country, to rid it of this Chicago gangster and his cohorts in crime!
In these times 'I'll keep My God, My Freedom, My Guns and My money. Anyone that supports this insanity can keep "THE CHANGE."
|
|
All this occurred just during the first three weeks. . . but who's counting? Since then Michelle Obama has a staff of more than 20-compared to Laura Bush's one (that is right, 1.)
We find that Acorn (Obama was one of the main supporters/beneficiaries ) has more than 200+ partially government funded 'non profits' that are trying to destroy the Country-and the Obama team 'will not investigate them'.
And how about the 20+ 'Czars' that report only to Obama? America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges ; Barry, Nancy and Harry and they are still trying to define stimulus..."it's the spending, stupid!!!"
The congress passes the $800,000,000,000 (that's $800 billion) pork-loaded spending bill where the government gives you a smidgen of your tax dollars ($13 per week), making you feel so good about yourself [stimulated], that you want to run out to Wal-Mart and buy a new Chinese-made HDTV and go home and watch Telemundo!
Only in America , what a country...
Pray for our country. Here's the good news though - Obama took Air Force One to Denver to sign the stimulus package, wasting only 10,000 gallons of fuel OR 24 JOBS FOR ONE YEAR. Don't you just love this
hypocrite?
Speaking of praying, Obama has now been president for seven months and yet he & wife (first lady) Michelle, the Christian family they claim to be, have not attended church since the inauguration. He must miss Reverend Wright!
|
|
So, Let's Recap--
1. The American people elect a black president with a total of 142 days experience as a US Senator from the most politically corrupt state in America whose governor is ousted from office. The President's first official act is to order that Americans pay for abortions around the world. Second was to order the close of Gitmo and make sure terrorists civil rights are not violated. (He really screwed up!!)
2. The Democrat controlled U.S. Congress rushes to confirm a black Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo
Terrorists. (An honest mistake?!)
3. The CIA Boss appointee, Leon Panetta, has absolutely no experience, has a daughter Linda, we find out, who is a true radical anti-American activist and a supporter of all the Anti-American regimes
in the western hemisphere. (But there were socio-economic factors involved!)
4. We got the second most corrupt American woman (Pelosi is #1) as Secretary of State; bought and paid for. (You can put lipstick on pigs, but they still stink!)
5. We got a Tax Cheat for Treasury Secretary who did not properly file his own taxes for 12 years. (He said he misspoke!)
6. A Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges. (Another honest mistake???)
7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges. (Hmmm... another screw-up?)
8. A Labor Secretary nominee who withdrew under charges of unethical conduct. (Ok, maybe this person was just plain stupid.)
9. A Secretary HHS nominee (Daschle) who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes.. (I'm running out of excuses for these morons!!)
10. Multiple appointments of former lobbyists after an absolute campaign pledge that no lobbyists would be appointed. (Dear God, I need a drink!)
|
|
"Stretching" by verifying meaning in the dictionary? No sir, I'm pointing out what the generally accepted definition is, a definition that you are denying. In any case if it's not a *tax*, why do some folks get a "tax credit" [refundable] to pay for it?
Perhaps presbo's defense should be that he generally adheres to the dictionary found in Orwell's 1984? |
|
|
for a definition? As The Bamma pointed out, THAT isn't done, Homes. |
|
I agree. Right now, if one chooses to live in a cabin in the woods, hunting and growing one's own food on their own land, the government will leave that person alone.
For the first time, one's mere existence would entitle the government to impose a penalty if one does not abide regulations.
[Note: relatively extreme example used to highlight the draconian nature of the personal mandate] |
|
|
If obama gets another question with that kind of gotcha in it he will take his ball and go home , and he will threaten to put you on his shyt list with Fox and never come on your station again. |
|
|
I am so tired of everyone comparing this mandatory health care tax to auto insurance. First of all you do not need to have auto insurance to obtain a license and you do not need to purchase insurance if you chose not to own a car. Under the guidelines set forth with this plan you will pay a mandatory tax (penalty) even if you never go to a doctor. |
|
Stephanopoulos seems to becoming the next Tim Russert - former Democratic operative asking tough questions, having the research to back himself up.
--------------------------
Substantively, Obama is not being honest. The primary reason people are concerned about tax increases is not because they're called "tax" or because the go directly into government coffers. People are concerned about tax increases because they have to pay more money. A child could recognize that.
Obama would make people pay more money through a personal mandate. I wouldn't strictly call it a "tax" but it is the functional equivalent. |
|
|
twenty percent fringers, discuss anything! |
|
|
|