SPAM-LOW: [Publib] McCain wants to tax your employer-provided health care benefits

[Andrea Berstler]

I realize we are in an election year and that election issues are not only
important but kept in front of our eyes daily, however I, for one, would
like to ask that unless those issues directly affect libraries, (freedom to
read, library funding, etc) could we please not use this listserve to make
comments on the press releases and other "information" that comes from the
political candidates. It truly serves no purpose other than to insight
debate for debate's sake. . . 

 

Food for thought - many libraries, mine included, have no money for health
care benefits, none.  So a tax credit might help me out. . . 

 

Thanks for listening - 

 

Andrea

 

Andrea Berstler - Director

The Village Library of Morgantown

PO Box 797, 207 N Walnut St

Morgantown, PA

 

 

  _____  

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of SledDogAC at aol.com
Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2008 5:34 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: SPAM-LOW: [Publib] McCain wants to tax your employer-provided
health care benefits

 

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/mccains_health_care_tax_increa.ht
ml 

September 11, 2008 10:23 

McCain's
<http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/mccains_health_care_tax_increa.h
tml>  Health Care Tax Increase

Posted by Joe Klein 

A new rule here: Rather than do the McCain campaign's bidding by wasting
space on Senator Honor's daily lies and bilge--his constant attempts to
divert attention from substantive issues--I'm going to assume that others
will spend more than enough time on the sewage that Steve Schmidt is
shoveling and, from now on, try to stick to the issues.

Today's issue: health insurance. John
<http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ba2f1c-c03f-4ac2-8cd5-5cf2edb5
27cf.htm>  McCain wants to tax your
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/us/politics/01mccain.html>
employer-provided health care benefits. He wants to replace those benefits
with an insufficient tax credit--$2500 for individuals and $5000 for
families (the average cost per family for health insurance is $12000). 

There is a positive, progressive tax aspect to this: wealthier people should
have to pay for health insurance themselves, without tax breaks from the
federal government. 

But make no mistake: this plan will do little or nothing for those who do
not have insurance now--unless they are young and healthy--and it may well
hurt a fair number of workers, especially unionized workers, who get
gold-plated benefits from their employers. 

It will certainly do nothing for families with members who have pre-existing
conditions or children with special needs--because it makes no provision to
regulate the insurers, forcing them to cover all comers at "community" rates
that don't discriminate against the people who need health insurance most. 

It is amazing to me that Obama campaign has let things go this far without
pointing out that McCain--who opposes the energy bill because it would
increase taxes on oil companies--is actually proposing a tax increase on
health care benefits for American workers. But that is precisely what the
Senator from Arizona is doing. 








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