Open Left

Taxing middleclass

I'm concerned that if we tax the health benefits of people who already have employer paid insurance without making a compelling case for truly universal healthcare that they'll just figure they're being screwed.  Frankly, I think they are.  Why aren't we proposing really progressive taxation to pay for this?  If all we do is add a tax on the middleclass to force them to fund healthcare for people a little less well off than they are, I don't see how we get either the revenue or the support for major change.  What are we actually getting with this?  It's woefully underfunded and isn't truly providing universal coverage.  

This is a big deal.  It needs a vision and a commitment equal to the task.  Instead we're likely to get a Blue Dog shell game that taxes the middleclass to shovel money to corporate lobbies.

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by: Aliceann @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:51:51 PM CDT