Posted on 10/09/2007 9:19:16 AM PDT by icwhatudo
Hello everyone, its been an interesting few days. I had no idea my post about the family used by democrats to push for expansion of the S-CHIP program would cause such a stir. There have been many questions and comments raised about me and my simple Google research that I thought I'd deal with them all on this post if it's ok with the Mods.
My interest in the S-CHIP issue came about because of the way it's portrayed in the media. President Bush's veto was of an EXPANSION of this health insurance program to include higher income families. It would not cut the program, (in fact Bush wants to increase funding), nor would it cause the Frost family to lose their coverage under it.
The Frost family choose to allow their son to give the democrat radio response to the president's veto. They choose to put their family story, picture of their home, and income information in the papers for all to see. Now that I look into the facts of that same story I'm accused of "invading their privacy" or "attacking a 12 year old boy". Could someone from Daily Kos, Think Progress, or Democratic Underground please cut and paste the part of my article that attacked the 12 year old boy?
The Baltimore Sun article about the family mentioned that the son attended Park school. I knew this was an expensive private school so I began to wonder why someone who could send their child there would need others to pay for their health insurance. It led to my use of Google to find out if there was information that the Baltimore Sun left out of the article. All the information I found I linked to in my post.
After posting my article a number of Freepers started emailing the story out to local papers and other blogs, talk show hosts, etc. It really exploded when Mark Steyn of National Review Online posted about it. From there it spread through the blogs including Michelle Malkin and even made it on the Rush Limbaugh's show. Last night ABC news online posted about the "firestorm in Washington" it was causing. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was accusing GOP leadership aides of "pushing falsehood" and complained that Republican staffers where passing the information out to reporters.
Left wing sites have begun to hit back, questioning my information. Many are linking to these 5 points from Thinkprogress.org that I will comment on:
"1) Graeme has a scholarship to a private school. The school costs $15K a year, but the family only pays $500 a year."
For all the claims my research was poor...where's your link? $15,000? From my link to the schools tuition page:
Tuition for 2007-2008
Lower School $19,530
Middle School $19,530
Upper School $21,080
Where did you get your information the family was paying $500 per year? Was this from the talking points memo you got from Harry Reid spokesman Jim Manley? Did he tell you how long they’ve had those scholarships? Any idea why the tenant in the commercial building they own, Mike Reilly (who has known the Frosts for 10 years) said See "Update 2:50pm"it was his understanding the children’s grandparents paid the bill?
We can debate the amount they are paying, or the amount the grandparents are contributing, or the amount that is earned through scholarships but the fact remains the family is paying to send their child to a private school while asking others to pay for their health insurance. Are you claiming otherwise?
"2) His sister Gemma attends another private school to help her with the brain injuries that occurred due to her accident. The school costs $23,000 a year, but the state pays the entire cost."
Again no link but I heard this as well. It was why I stated in my article that: "His sister Gemma, also severely injured in the accident, attended the same school PRIOR to the accident"
Its funny how the left wing echo chamber is seizing on this point to somehow show my information was bad. That somehow I was saying she was still attending the Park School. Will you concede that my statement "His sister Gemma, also severely injured in the accident, attended the same school PRIOR to the accident" is 100% true? At the time they choose to not purchase health insurance, prior to the accident, at least 2 of their kids attended Park school.
"3) They bought their “lavish house” sixteen years ago for $55,000 at a time when the neighborhood was less than safe."
Your information is incorrect (and again fails to provide a link). "They" did not buy the house 16 years ago, Mr. Frost bought the home on his own on 11/30/1990. The couple was married in 1992, and it appears his wife paid him $52,500 to be added to the deed on 09/06/2005. Interesting that on the Department of Assessments and Taxation form under "Principal Residence:" it states "NO". Do they own a second home in addition to the commercial property? Also, please cut and paste from my article where I said they lived in a "Lavish house". Large house-yes, and nice kitchen from the photo.
"4) Last year, the Frost’s made $45,000 combined. Over the past few years they have made no more than $50,000 combined.
Again no link. What is the source of this claim? Not saying their reported income was not as you state, but as Mr. Frost set up a LLC would you concede its possible that reported income could be different than actual access to financial resources? Maybe those more familiar on why people set up LLC's can tell us what creative things can be done with finances this way.
"5) The state of Maryland has found them eligible to participate in the CHIP program."
Exactly! Thanks for making my point. Even with the private school you admit they are partially paying for, even with the home that is not their primary residence, even with the LLC they set up and purchased commercial property with, even with a tenant in the building they own...they still qualify! So why then do we need to expand the program to families with even higher incomes than the Frosts?
I am also a father of 4 and I live in a waterfront house. We have 2 boats and go to the beach for 2 weeks each year. All 4 of my kids go to private school. If the S-CHIP program is expanded...WE WILL QUALIFY! I'd love to use the savings from others paying for my kids health insurance to buy a new motor for my bass boat but is that what we really want from S-CHIP?
A few other points:
Some blogs, radio shows, etc have incorrectly stated that I claimed their house was bought for $485,000 or was worth $500,000 etc. My actual quote on this was:
"The current market value of their improved 3,040 SF home at 104 S Collington Ave is unknown but 113 S COLLINGTON AVE, also an end unit, sold for $485,000 this past March and it was only 2,060 SF."
I found a similar (actually smaller) home a few doors down that recently sold for $485,000. A Freeper early on in my original post linked a zillow estimate of $360,000. The taxation page assesses the home at $263,140 and we all know assessed values for taxes are lower than market price(at least in Maryland). Are there cheaper homes in the area that have not been renovated yet? Sure, but lets not miss the point here. This is not a family of renters, they own not only a 3,040 SF home but a commercial property as well. I'm not faulting them for it, I'm not trying to say they are rich, I'm trying to make people aware of what types of families are CURRENTLY covered by S-CHIP so we can honestly debate if the income ceiling should be raised.
Hmmmm, I really could use that new bass boat motor and the kids really would like a Nintendo Wii ... maybe I'll change my position.
This business has the same telephone number as ‘Reilly Designs’...
A to Z Services LLC
3701 E Baltimore St / Bldg.3 Rear, Baltimore, MD 21224
mdreilly@erols.com
(410) 327-2906
(443) 857-8557
(410) 327-6219 (fax)
The MSM shine like a bunch of hacks. It is clear they have little interest in reporting facts. Thanks for doing their job 100% better.
I’ll add some more information. Your general liability coverage on insurance is much higher. So often times, the people involved in the accident will go to court, suing for damages.
When they get their, neither side will fight all that hard, someone will mention to the jury what the liability coverage is, and the jury will find in favor of the injured party by the liability amount.
This changes “medical” expenses into “general liability” expenses, which are paid out of the larger fund amount.
In THIS case, it was a one-car accident, the mother lost control on the ice. So their only hope would have been to sue the insurance company, which wouldn’t probably have worked.
But remember, they didn’t have to do ANYTHING. They were automatically covered by SCHIP, they didn’t have to fight the evil republicans or anything. I imagine their insurance paid the initial costs up to the limit, and SCHIP happily paid the rest.
SCHIP or some other Maryland program is now paying for the disabled child’s education, no problem with that either, as frankly the public pays for all sorts of public education.
If you are lucky, icwhatudo, you could be his “worst person ever” for the week.
The national average mortgage rate in Nov 1990 was about 9.7 percent.
Taking a 20 year fixed, monthly payments would be $519.88.
In Sept 2005 (when his wife made her $52K payment), the remaining principal balance would have been about $25,272.74. Today, the principal balance would be just short of $16,000.
9/6/2005
Florida just changed Oct 01 back to regular insurance after having been No-Fault for over 30 years, using the same arguments that were used when we went No-Fault back in the 70’s,....lower rates,, better coverage, etc., blah, blah,blah...........
And federal welfare fraud.
Things are not looking too chipper for the S-CHIP poster family.
Reillys Designs
(also listed aas Reilly’s Design International, LLC)
3701 East Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21224-1509
Phone: (410) 327-2906
Business Types: Architects, Ornamental Metal Work, Welding
Thanks Jim Robinson for providing a palce where we can share.
HA! Good point.
re: SCHIP and the Media's LIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reply to: comm-443878641@craigslist.org Date: 2007-10-08, 7:05PM PDT From http://sandiego.craigslist.org/pol/443699762.html Key line of this story: "Freerepublic's icwhatudo, managed to find plenty of missing facts using google: " Even FreeRepublic workers are ashamed of the stuff they do and use nicknames like "icwhatudo" instead of their names in a FreeRepublic story. People who read Freerepublic and think they are reading facts are just plain admitting that their intelligence is lower than whale shit. An 87 IQ, if you will.
Tip-o-the-hat to you!
I was unable to find a thread specific to LLC’s so I’ll post it here.
Once I post, I’m sure someone knows more than I who can fill in the gory details where necessary.
An LLC (limited liability company) ‘s main purpose is to protect assets from lawsuits. It is not as good as an S corp as far as tax laws go.
An S corp demands that the owner, owners, declare a reasonable salary commensurate with the work the owner does to support the business. You can take declare 0 as a salary, but this is a flag to the IRS.
An S corp has more tax advantages than does an LLC. There is no reason why any one person or persons cannot have multiple businesses, using an LLC for one or more businesses and an S Corp for others.
Although one could get into the deep weeds as to how one could nefariously manipulate the system to pay lower taxes,
the quickest way for any business owner to pay low income taxes is simply to do work for cash, and/or have work done for their home and ask the contractor to do the work for the home, but claim to have done it for business.
It is possible that the Frosts could have inherited money upon which they draw and/or saved and invested, but they of course would have to note that as income.
If you would like me to post this on another thread, let me know, but it is very basic. I’m sure others will know more.
On another related point, if the grandmother gives money to the family, and its over 10, 11 or 12,000 (I can’t recall the current figure) it must be declared on your income tax as a gift. No matter where you got it, it is still income.
I amsure there is a freeper lawyer/investor/smarty who knows more about this than I.
Wow. Nice comeback.
Settting the left on fire should be your life’s work. This was clearly rung in as a five alarm fire, and burned the S-CHIP lie to the ground.
Your calm restatement of the facts will be hard for them to argue with, and, best of all, I love the way you've refocused attention on the bottom line of this whole issue...
I'm trying to make people aware of what types of families are CURRENTLY covered by S-CHIP so we can honestly debate if the income ceiling should be raised
Bravo to you, sir.
Careful, Harry Reid is going to call for your censure! :-)
iluvwhatudo!
Good job withstanding the Left’s dishonest assault on you. They scream the loudest when they are exposed, similar to vampires.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.