Posted on 07/10/2009 6:32:27 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Democrats on the influential House Ways and Means Committee seemed to be moving toward a funding plan for health-care reform that would cut Medicare and Medicaid spending by roughly $500 billion to $600 billion and levy a surtax on the wealthy — even as the bill's introduction was put off as party moderates wrangled with leadership over how to proceed.
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel said Friday the plan would include three different surtax rates that would affect people making $350,000, $500,000 and $1 million a year, respectively. Rangel said the rates would be small, perhaps ranging between one and three percent, and would bring in about $540 billion.
"We have decided instead of putting pieces of different revenue raisers together that the best that we can do would have graduated surtaxes," Rangel said.
But for the second straight day, House Democratic leaders struggled to bring moderates on board with legislation anticipated to cost at least $1 trillion.
Democrats were also forced to cancel its first scheduled committee hearing next week, but said they would work over the weekend and be ready to introduce the legislation Monday.
Republicans didn't need an official announcement to know they don't like the smell of what Democrats have cooking.
"In the middle of a serious recession, with unemployment nearing double digits nationwide, the last thing we need is a tax increase on small businesses , which will cost the American economy even more jobs," said Republican leader John Boehner's spokesman Michael Steel.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Rangel doesn’t pay his taxes, so it won’t affect him.
Oh, that is WONDERFUL! :)
And when they are gone who are they going after?
Yippee! More taxes on the rich...who take the risks and build the businesses and create the jobs and pay the salaries of the MORONS in Congress via their taxes!
Yes! Yes! Tax them more! Punish achievement and prosperity!
(Just shoot me now...)
How can you tax the rich when they are leaving the country in record numbers?
The picture says it all.
Kinda makes one not want to be “rich”. I think that’s the Commies’ game plan. It won’t have any effect on the ‘RATS because most of them don’t pay taxes anyway.
So, they are planning to force the elderly and the poor off of Medicare and Medicaid and into government health care by drastically reducing the already poor payments to doctors and hospitals, ensuring that doctors and hospitals will no longer participate in those programs.
I feel sorry for all the elderly who did not vote for Socialism. I do not feel sorry for the gullible poor who voted for this dictator and his Leftist party.
The “us” government is hellbent on running the wealthy/corporations out of America.
Don’t buy the divide and conquer game.
The way things seem to be heading “the rich” will very soon include families with two incomes making over $100,000 per year. Watch, it’s coming.
No, ultimately it will tax us all. Lost jobs, companies leaving the US and worthless money. Banana republic anyone.
I think only congressmen should have to pay taxes on all their healthcare insurance they have now.
Charles Rangel: Health bill will tax the rich. Except the endless array of wealthy democrat criminals with their 5 star health insurance forbidden to the sheeple.
something about "tax the rich, feed the poor, tax them till there are no more" comes to mind...
Today the leftists say they only will tax the rich, tomorrow the middle class and when all of us are broke, we will be poor sick slobs who don’t deserve to live, so our food and soma will be withdrawn by the leftist elites.
Socialism, trickle-up poverty.
Trickle up poverty indeed. These idiot can’t understand that if they keep this up, there won’t be any rich to tax anymore.
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