Here's the congress we voted for. One side gives you Obamacare, the other comes up with a huge tax increase by making healthcare benefits taxable. What idiots!!!


http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthew...care-is-a-big-tax-hike/?partner=yahootix

I haven't read the GOP proposal since no matter what Reid wont allow it and the fuhrer will just veto it.

I'm sure it would be better than ocare. I will add that if a politician thought it up it won't be good, better but not good.

Death and Taxes. Same old Same old. I guess the Senate has to find ways to pay for their benefits.

Prohibit insurance companies from imposing lifetime benefit limits on a customer.

Give individuals the freedom of purchasing the health care plan that best suits their needs.

Return the power of regulating health insurance to the states.

Lower the age rating restriction to the previous normal level.

Under Obamacare, older, sicker patients would not pay more than three times what a younger, healthier person would pay in premiums. That rating will be returned to five to one.
Offer dependent coverage up to age 26.

Prevent customers with a pre-existing condition from being denied coverage if they can show proof of continuous coverage, including COBRA.

Provide a one-time open enrollment period.

Increase purchasing power for small businesses and individuals by providing a targeted tax credit which can be solely used for the purchase of health insurance.

Require transparency from the medical and insurance companies regarding the costs of procedures.

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/01/111280-breakdown-gops-obamacare-replacement-proposal/

Since "healthcare" is not a Constitutional function of the federal government, what is the gripe if the feds raise taxes to pay for it. There ain't no free lunch!

My gripe is paying for non Americans. They should pay out of their pocket, or be deported for medical reasons.

So the Republicans should come up with something that does away with us paying for illegals.

Why has not one republican asked the American people why we should work and pay for he health care of some people who will never hit a lick at a snake when they are able bodied?

idiots.

In my dreams the US would get rid of the scam that is the two party system, and start voting in people who would actually represent us. Until then I will continue to vote against the incumbent. sigh

Well of course ya got to hit up all the working folks that pay as much as 39.6% on earnings so the special people can enjoy tax brackets of 0%-15% and, god forbid, 20%.

yeah cause half the population paying no taxes or getting more back then they paid has No affect on the whole system

If Zeke Emanuel hates it, I love it. We're talking the �-care author here, folks. Ya know, Mr. you get the bullet when you are of no societal value anymore, guy. The guru of death panels.

I have been paying 100% of my own insurance cost with after tax dollars my whole life. Why should others get tax free money to pay for their insurance? This is fair.

Why did the IRS treat me this way? Cuz, I created jobs and employed people. Punish that enough and it will go away. Voila.

Oh yeah, folks finally pay attention to cost, when they pay. Corrects the market.

This is an improvement, to be sure. Sorry Kev.

Since its not a "Constitutional function" why do they have their nose stuck in it to start with? IMHO, the Federal Gov't is not the trump solution to all problems.

News Flash, we have no two party system in the traditional sense.

there are the progressives [all dems and most republicans], and then there is the TEA PARTY.

If the people representing you are NOT endorsed by the TEA PARTY, don't vote for them. Things are only going to change when people get the backbone to vote out the John Boehners, John McCains, and Mitch McConnells of the political world.

Fixed it. miles

Only a MORON would bring up this issue. Then again morons ain't bright enough to know the difference...

I've been saying for some time that there isn't dime's worth of difference between the Democrat and Republican Establishment and this article proves it. This why McCain and Romney could not beat Obama.

if you want to pay for insurance for people who can't/won't afford it, you have to get the money somewhere. since the health insurance fairy hasn't come through, this is the next step.

the voters spoke loud and clear and said they want healthcare insurance for all. twice. so here's the republican proposal.

There I fixed it for you.

Seems to me, it worked better before they started plucking FIXING it! They made a "crisis" out of thin air, and proceeded to mess it up.

For the most part yes. I wouldn't say deny a person who is in immediate position of dying(shot/stabbed in vitals, etc.) of healthcare. The thing is they are illegal, they should be deported and not draining on those who are law abiding, working, tax paying citizens of this country.

Dang, Kevin, you sound like one of those Tea Party kooks!

The only thing government can do is create a problem than create a solution to fix the problem government created. That is the only proper function of government which why I've become a anarchist.

I was pissed when they started taxing unemployment benefits..

Some times all that your are doing is possibly setting up some other leach for a big fat congressional pension if they were to be elected.

Our only solution is smaller government and lower taxes. Now the government runs us, imposing itself between us and our doctor, our teacher, our grocer, each other!...

.gov's free spending and meddling have put most citizens in such a panic that they turn for help to the very government responsible for their predicament.

Big government's answer to problems caused by big government is always more government.

So true.

Thats an issue to me. Those that have the most pay the least somehow thrills you. The funny thing about it is that you are for that yet you are far from being one of the those special people.

SuchACommie, you must never have taken any math, because even if you flunked the class, you would know that what you just said is pure hogwash.

What percentage of the taxes in this country are paid by the top 1% income bracket?

Try your google-fu.

Just keep swallowing what you're spoon fed, you're a happy one for sure. Think about this, if possible, its the small percentage of their income, when compared to the working class, that you seem to miss.

Don't you think we pay enough in taxes?

Ding, ding, ding; we have a winner!! Well said sir.

I have yet to find a party that I agree with. Sure their lip service and 10 second sound bytes all sound great. I start having problems when you get under the hood and look at the legislation. The parties make broad statements on issues when often times there is no single solution that covers such broad issues. I like much of what the Republican party claims to be, I can even agree (in concept, but certainly not execution) to a couple of things the Democrats say. I like almost 50% of what the Libertarian party believes, and I support some Tea Party ideas. I'm weird, if I have an opinion on a given topic, it's because I've researched it and formed my own conclusions. That's why I will have completely opposite ideas on something that applies to one business sector vs. another.

I pretty much always come down on things that take power away from the federal government and give it to the people; that's one of the few broad statements I can make. But there are even some exceptions to that. So since I take an issue by issue stance on things, I find that there are no parties for me. And when you think about it, how do you market a political party that can't make broad statements? They try to dumb things down so more can understand it, which is where they get their support. God forbid we actually LOOK at legislation.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Correct. It then proceeded to enumerate the specific powers with which the Federal Government was authorized to promote the general welfare, mainly to be found in Section 8 of Article I. There is no general power to "promote the general welfare" deriving from the Constitution. That's plain on its face as soon as you take note of the fact that specific powers were delegated. Had they intended a general power (unrestrained by law) to promote the general welfare, that would have been all they wrote. No need to waste ink specifically enumerating the powers delegated to the Federal Government if that's the case, since such a power would, by its nature, be plenary. Enumeration of powers would be superfluous and nonsensical.

It is just the same Government answer to everything. Raise taxes. Pretty soon having to get out of bed to go to work will be considered a taxable benefit.

I guess if they are going to tax their own golden fleece healthcare it would only be right.

Hawk covered the "general Welfare" part and I'll handle "We the People". We the People had nothing to do with forming the federal government. In the two states that We the People got to vote on the Constitution and the creation of the Federal government said government went down to resounding defeat. Special interest form the federal government and federal state NOT We the People.

The Coburn-Burr-Hatch proposal has some serious problems but there is a lot more than a dime�s worth of difference.

The dime worth of difference is that the Coburn-Burr-Hatch plan substantially deregulates ObamaCare.

That in its self would cut costs in the long run, but the near term tax increases is a nonstarter.

The fact that health insurance is not taxed as income may not be fair and one of the reasons for out of control heath costs.

But now is no time to be raising taxes. The only time to makes tax burdens more fair is to couple it with substantial job growth tax cuts.

To repeal or just watch the collapse of ObamaCare without an alternative market-based replacement is to only grease the skids for a big government single payer system.

The polls show that the voters do not want anymore big government programs of any kind.

Now would be an excellent time for the Tea Party players to build on the foundation of this Republican Establishment proposal and come up with a better replace and reform plan. With No-New-Taxes.

Break it down into bite sized chunks and hand most of it over to the states.

They can start after this next election and finish up after the following election.

The best thing that ObamaCare has done is to take both Houses away from Obama this fall. And give the Tea Party bigger pieces of the pie.

The numbers show that the people are more than ready for �Real� change.

What part of this confuses you? Show me a republican and I will show you someone who believes in expanding government. Show me a GOP president and I can show you government that is out of control.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2010/08/americas_peculiar_amnesia.html


People have already forgotten how George W. Bush and the Republican Congress expanded government spending.

Agreed, Bush wasn't much of a conservative. He was a far better man the catastrophe that we currently have, but not that great in all reality. Is your point that since Bush sucked, Obama sucks a little less than he otherwise would have?

One of these days you will get it. Nah, actually you'll never get it. But I'm going to try anyhow.
Have you ever noticed how even the conservatives on here stay upset with the Republican Party?
Now contrast that with how many times the few liberals on here EVER get mad at the Democratic party.

Don't get it, do ya?

No...My point is most of the GOP presidents that we have seen in the past 30+ years have presided over a huge expansion of the federal government. To many here like to pretend that the GOP represents smaller government and less spending. Simply not true!