Key Democrat Expresses Concerns About Obama Tax Proposal to Fund Health Care Reform

there is no free lunch for middle America on this health care reform. According to peter Orszak, the budget director, about half of the fund will be from the revenue on the so called emission cap tax, this in turn means higher cost for electricity generation which is more than 70% from burning natural gas and coal, as well as cost of ground and air transportation using internal combustion engines or jet engines.

New York Times:

He [Obama] is extremely committed to entitlement reform and is plotting politically feasible ways to reduce Social Security as well as health spending. The White House folks didn’t say this, but I got the impression they’d be willing to raise taxes on the bottom 95 percent of earners as part of an overall package.
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This is David Brooks, who is frequently wrong, so take it for what it's worth.

Liberals need to pay up their taxes, they run states that have little or no income, sales or any other local taxes. No wonder their states fail FAIL to provide decent health care, schools and infrastructure. They need to quit looking to the fed and the states that PROVIDE for the people. Quit being so greedy liberals and start at your state levels. Why should a state that properly funds those basic services have to pay for the liberal states that allow its citizens to squander their money? Why should a state that actively has state programs have to accept citizens from another state that has caveman care? Why should states that provide the basic care then subsidize that basic care via a federal tax? The liberals want to have everyone else pay for their tax cut. Greed nothing but greed on the liberals part. Step up to the plate liberals and start paying up because that greed is making us a third world country.

How can Baucus say the vast majority of Americans are very comfortable with the way our health care system is set up right now. They are? Last count I heard, a vast majority are NOT happy with it and want it fixed. I dont' know what planet Senator Baucus comes from, but America is one of the only 'advanced' countries that STILL doesn't have universal health care. We don't need this 'uniquely American' system because it is the result of 30 years of Republicans STYMYING health care reform and as a result we pay more and get less than most other countries for our health care and our access to health care is wildly unequal, with the 'have nots' getting substandard coverage, if any at all, and the 'haves' able to afford cadillac treatment. Out of Baucus's own mouth comes his admission that he wants to keep things as they are pretty much. Maybe we're "not Canada" Max, but maybe we could learn something from Canada. They get much better coverage of their whole population and pay less for their care AND it's a myth that their medical care is worse than that of the USA. It is better. Even with the wait times. At least they get care. How many million Americans at last count don't even get medical care unless they go into bankruptcy and throw themselves onto the Emergency Room and run up bills they can never repay? And Baucus things this is a satisfactory "uniquely American' system that is good enough? Doesn't that tell you all you need to know about Baucus's political leanings right there?

Why is this surprising. Here is a bit about Baucus's political record: Baucus is one of the more conservative members of his party, frequently breaking with the majority of Democrats on the issues like taxes, the environment, and gun politics. Max Baucus has voted in favor of big oil companies on 67% of important oil-related bills, according to Oil Change International. These bills include Iraq War funding, climate change studies, clean energy, and oil import reductions.______

Baucus voted in favor of the Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy and was at President Bush's side as he signed it. He has fairly consistently voted against repealing the portions of that bill and more recent tax cut bills that benefit upper income taxpayers. __Baucus also took Abramoff PAC Money____On December 20, 2005 Baucus' office announced that he was returning $18,892 in contributions that his office has found to be connected to indicted former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. (Source: Wikipedia)

Bayh Bayh Obama. Your zeal is even
gagging your faithful. What an arrogant
twit you are. Bare shoulders may help
at your next public "fireside chat"
in front of the teleprompters. Michelle's shoulders are broader since
she's been carrying your H2O for years.
Ask ol' Rev Wright for divine guidance
......or don't you remember who he is?

Obama lied, the economy died.

The only problem with this Senator wanting it to be bi-partisan is the fact that the majority of Republicans don't want to reform health care. So how can you get any good ideas from them? They fought Hillary on it, they didn't do anything about it when they had the presidency and control of the Congress for six years. I would like to say to this senator, stay in the reality of who you are dealing with. Most Republican politicians don't want health care for all, they can't see the terrible burden it puts on small businesses and don't care that so many Americans, 46 million at last count, don't have health insurance. They will simply try to water down the effectiveness or limit who gets it.

Faith - your rhetoric is out of date. Don't you remember that the welfare system was reformed in the '90s to avoid just such abuses? Once again you confuse your nonsensical opinions with FACTS. This is why nobody takes you Republicans seriously anymore - all you have is a bunch of stupid, outdated rhetoric and no grasp of the current reality. God you people are predictable!

This article is silly - just trying to stir up controversy where there is none. Why is the MSM trying to undermine Obama? Is it just for ratings? I stand behind my President!

Okay Melissa... facts are... we will use the welfare system as an example....welfare was created to be used in times of Emergencies. Examples of that are layoffs, sickness, death, etc. It wasn't meant as a way of living; yet everytime a Democratic President comes into office more freebies are handed out as payout for ones vote. I'm sorry dear but those are the facts. So quit standing in line and get a job like the rest of us. I'm tired of paying for all of those freebies!!!!!

Melissa - it's true. Republicans are all zombies and Rush Limbaugh is their evil, undead zombie overlord. He's fat from eating so much human flesh. Hahahhahaha!

The funny thing is that I was never even very political before the Bush years - I didn't even vote during the '90s. But now I am so angry at the GOP that I will make sure to vote against them every chance I get for the rest of my life!

Cyclos - hahahaha I think the solution to the Republican problem can be summed up best by Colonel Kurtz in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness":

"Exterminate The Brutes"

LOL

Melissa what a lady you are! Why are the Democrates so defensive? We Republicans are jsut stating facts like we see them. Obviously you voted for him so you can receive more freebies! Some people have to work and make a living and support those who don't. The Democratic party has and always will be strong because they give away to those who won't work in return for their votes. Wake up!

Brent - if socialism is what it takes to fix capitalism, then I say bring it on.

Capitalism has done nothing good for me. It's just another form of organized violence against the poor.

My whole life under capitalism has been one series of hard knocks after another - recession following recession like a roller coaster.

And for what? I used to be middle class, and under Bush I had to go on food stamps. And nobody cares about anybody else anymore. It's just greed, greed, greed and status and more, more, more.

Well I'm done with all that. I don't believe in capitalism or the free market anymore. They're both just a scam for the rich to get richer and the rest of us to get screwed.

If socialism is the alternative, then fine, let's try socialism for a while. Things can't get any worse here at the bottom.

Republicans are total scum. Obama should shut them out of the decision making process completely. They are worthless obstructionist clowns clinging to the same failed ideology that got us into this mess in the first place. America is sick of the GOP and their useless whining. Obama has the votes - he should shut out the GOP entirely and do what needs to be done to get the country back on track. The GOP will go the way of the Whigs very soon...

Why do Republicans continue to stand in the way of all progress? Do they really think that their campaign to blame Obama for the economic meltdown caused by Bush and the GOP is going to work? How stupid do they think we are? Frankly, it makes me even MORE enraged at the GOP - not only do they refuse to take responsibility for their failures, they insult all of our intelligence by trying to blame those failures on the guy who's tasked with cleaning up the mess? Won't these fools ever learn? I am so SICK of their stupid Republican CRAP!

Concerns about health care? What about all of his other liberal, socialistic policies? Obama is the last thing that America needs. If only to prove as what not to be, Obama may have that purpose come 4 years time.

Idiots! We already have a UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE system! The problem is that it is inefficient and expensive. Because of court rulings, statutes, and public conscience ANYONE, even illegal aliens and criminals, gets free healthcare by going to the ER or going to prison.

What we need to fix is making the system more efficient, logical, and less expensive. This needs to include universal coverage for preventative/routine healthcare, tort reform, billing countries for illegal immigrant health care costs, and crackdown on fraud.

It shouldn't include a global "Czar" with access to all of our personal health records. The new system should KEPP doctor-patient privledge and privacy- unlike Obama's current proposals. Do we really want all our health, drug/alcohol use, sexual histories, mental/psychological history, DNA, etc held in a government database controlled by political appointees?!?