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Rep. John Dingell: Health Care Bill Will Impose New Tax on Wealthy; Dems Can’t Afford ‘Judgmental Errors’
July 14, 2009 2:38 PM
ABC News’ Rick Klein reports:
With House leaders introducing their version of a sweeping health care reform bill this afternoon, we got a bit of a preview on today’s “Top Line” on ABCNews.com from Rep. John Dingell -- one of the bill’s architects, and a voice on behalf of universal health coverage for more than half a century.
Dingell, D-Mich., said the House bill will include “modest increases in taxes on persons in the upper income brackets,” as part of a new surtax House leaders are seeking to impose of couples making $350,000 or more.
While that concept is provoking opposition among conservative Democrats -- and appears unlikely to be embraced by the Senate -- Dingell downplayed the divisions inside the Democratic Party.
“I want to make it clear: Everybody in the Democratic caucus wants a bill on this point,” he said. “There’s very little difference on the need, but there’s enormous support for the idea that it must be done. Clearly there are going to be some large costs. The question is not so much sticker shock as it is how the health care changes that we’re going to make are going to have to be financed.”
The answer, according to Dingell and his fellow House Democratic leaders: A combination of tax increases, cost savings, and spending cuts elsewhere in the health care system.
And if health care reform doesn’t happen this year, to Dingell -- the longest-serving House member in American history; he’s been in office since December 1955 -- history suggests there won’t be another opportunity like this any time soon.
“I won’t say it isn’t going to happen. But it will be awhile before the stars are in proper constellation again,” Dingell said. “Remember, we have a large Democratic majority in the House, we have 60 votes in the Senate, and we have a Democratic president who is supportive of this. That is a extraordinary set of circumstances that I can’t recall back to the days -- except back to the days of President Clinton. And there were certain mistakes that were made that prevented it from happening. I hope we will not make those same judgmental errors this time.”
Dingell also addressed the state of the economy in his native Michigan, with President Obama slated for a visit later there this afternoon.
Michigan’s unemployment rate has topped 14 percent, and Dingell said it’s too soon to tell whether the stimulus package is having its desired effect -- and whether a second stimulus may be necessary.
“This is one of the questions we don’t know. So we’re watching very closely where this is happening,” Dingell said. “Remember we’ve put into the economy $86.9 billion. That’s an awful lot of money. Michigan got $18 billion. . . . So having said that, the money is there, the money is flowing through the system.”
“Now it may well be that we find that we’ve made mistakes,” he added. “It may well be as we go forward that we will find that we should have spent more money. It may be that we will find that everything went just right. But about four months after we passed legislation is too soon quite frankly to make a judgment as to how this is going to impact the United States.”
Click HERE to see the full interview with Rep. John Dingell.
Also today, we spoke with Republican consultant Kevin Madden about the latest from the confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, and Gov. Sarah Palin’s latest role as an op-ed writer.
Madden’s take: The first burst of questioning was a bit more “wobbly” than Democrats may have wanted -- and Sotomayor probably didn’t win herself any GOP votes today.
Click HERE to see the interview with Kevin Madden.
July 14, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (125)
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The top earners in this country should pay for everyone else's healthcare coverage.... After all, they are only paying 85% of all taxes collected right now to begin with. And that is not enough.
Posted by: Mike Jones | Jul 14, 2009 3:16:49 PM
Payback money you stole with BUSH.
Posted by: Brian | Jul 14, 2009 3:30:13 PM
And we'll be stealing MORE with Obama!!! Heh, heh, heh!!!
Posted by: hmn | Jul 14, 2009 4:20:42 PM
They said a small increase for those making over $350,000 a year...What do you suggest, raising taxes on people making $30,000 a year? Something has to be done.
Posted by: Barb | Jul 14, 2009 4:21:56 PM
Tax the rich!!!
Posted by: Mike Hott | Jul 14, 2009 4:26:11 PM
How many times is this administration going to tax and spend on income above $250,000?
Posted by: ken | Jul 14, 2009 4:33:03 PM
The rich will stop hiring people, expanding businesses, and giving to charities as they are forced to give more to Obama and his socialist goons. Meanwhile, unemployment will continue to rise and our GDP will shrink. Good job Obama; you're destroying the economy with your eyes wide open.
Posted by: afkbrad | Jul 14, 2009 4:33:22 PM
until the rich have all left, or are no longer rich. tax increases are regressive and take jobs out of the economy.
Posted by: jschmidt | Jul 14, 2009 4:36:14 PM
What does rep. Dingell care?? He's so old, he won't be around when this Bill is implemented.
What a crock. I work in the employment industry, and this isn't going to help anything.... Way to go Dimbocrats!!!!
Posted by: JT | Jul 14, 2009 4:37:55 PM
reminds me of a banana republic, tax the heck out of the wealthy until you no longer have wealthy people to tax, then they are all poor and become a third world country, why you loony liberal? because the wealthy move out
Posted by: fructoseyou | Jul 14, 2009 4:38:02 PM
They said a small increase for those making over $350,000 a year...What do you suggest, raising taxes on people making $30,000 a year? Something has to be done.
Posted by: Barb
____________________________
Who makes $350,000 a year? Corporations do. The very corporations that hire the poor and the middle class.
Just where do think the corporations are going to get the money to pay the tax? They're either going to raise prices on their products or they're going to lay off workers, that is middle class and POOR workers.
With unemployment at 9 percent already because of the tax rise Obama put into place, more unemployment will certainly be a wonderful thing, right Barb?
There IS another way. I say we try to improve the health care system that we already have.
Posted by: marco | Jul 14, 2009 4:38:08 PM
I thought SMOKERS were going to pay for health care and the rich were going to pay for the porkulous deficit spending. Everyone will pay for "cap & trade" and the old people will pay....... It goes on and on. America is losing its freedoms.
Posted by: Motney | Jul 14, 2009 4:39:20 PM
US financial collapse will be here by late 2012. Be Ye Also Ready!!!
Posted by: Mark | Jul 14, 2009 4:42:01 PM
Cool so what happens when all rich people start crying broke and hiding their money in order not to pay for it? More corruption? More Obama money handouts? LOL @ the very idea!
Posted by: guesswhaturwrong | Jul 14, 2009 4:42:08 PM
Joe had it right. A re-distribution of wealth. The only thing Obama missed was that he said it would be better if more people had money to use joes services under his plan but he did not realize that the rich will still have money while they lay your poor butt off. Good luck with the socialism thing.
Posted by: billy bob | Jul 14, 2009 4:43:18 PM
Tax everyone including the poor. That is what our fruitcake President wants anyway. I think the people are already sick of him.
Posted by: barefootboy | Jul 14, 2009 4:44:05 PM
Here's a wild and crazy thought... Make the politicans (even Obama's cabnet memebers) PAY THEIR TAXES!!!! There, problem solved!
Oh wait, I can just hear it now: "If we do that, we won't get quality people to figure out how to make YOU pay even MORE!!! Ahh, I see, I see.
Apparently to be a "good" Democrat, or even a Republican these days, the first step is a lobotomy!!!
Why spend all that money educating your brain, if you NEVER intend to USE it!!!
Posted by: hmn | Jul 14, 2009 4:47:23 PM
Why is everybody so bent and determined have the federal government run a nationalized health care system. It should be done in your county or community where you live for general care. The state handles major medical which means your local & state taxes will go up.
You can better control the care & budget and the than the federal government. Example a county with 10,000 people compared to 300,000,000 people. The only thing the federal government should be involved is setting guidelines so states can't try to stick it to each other if you get hurt not in your home state. Yes your taxes will be higher if choose to take this route but this is the price you pay. Nothing is free. But can imagine the crap you would go through with federal government. By the way how many of the so called 50,000,000 people uninsured are here illegally?
Posted by: JW | Jul 14, 2009 4:49:19 PM
As one of the rich, I don't mind paying more taxes than the poor. What I do mind is paying for health treatment for people who are wilfully fat, eat fast foods, won't exercise, and drink sodas. How about a user tax on junk food and sodas to pay for health care? Or consider a tax on the manufacturers of unhealthy foods and polluters, since they cause most of the health problems.
Posted by: wil500son | Jul 14, 2009 4:49:36 PM
Obama said during the campaign the roll back of the Bush tax cuts would be more than enough to pay for health care and all his other new programs.
I guess not. Now we need new taxes everywhere to pay for carbon, health, new programs and more.
We are DEEPER and DEEPER in debt! How is spending more money going to save us money?
Posted by: scott jeffries | Jul 14, 2009 4:53:12 PM
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