Election 2020

[Sour Masher]

Taxing religions has been shot down by the SC twice, so I don’t think that’s a practical solution—certainly not one I have heard from anyone running for office on a Medicare for all platform. There are a lot of SC decisions I disagree with, but I find it’s useless to propose things that have already deemed to be unconstitutional. If you want this to happen, you’ll need to come up with something practical.

You still haven't answered--would you be for universal coverage for children? Do you think that is something worth finding a practical way to pay for?

[Sour Masher]

Oh so as long as the "regressive tax" works to your advantage its ok. At least Im consistent about my thoughts on taxes. Why charge the sin tax - instead of collecting it upfront to pay for the medical insurance expense? Or is it just more comfortable to think that "well they use it, they should pay it". Lets be honest here poor people are statistically more likely to smoke and drink than the rich ones.

It isn't to my advantage at all. I'm not advocating for universal healthcare because I need it. I have a job that provides me and my family good coverage. So lets tone down the suggestion I'm just throwing stuff out there for selfish reasons. I also think it is consistent and fair to ask poor people, and all people, btw, at a flat tax rate for all, btw, to indirectly pay for their medical care if they are going to engage in behaviors that make them more costly to treat for our society. I think that is more fair than penalizing people that have pre-existing conditions they have no control over.

[nots]

[QUOTE=Sour Masher;329038 I'd favor other sin taxes on stuff that make America unhealthy to begin with. I know you would balk at that, and may even bring up how sin taxes are regressive, but I'm okay with charging poor people more for cigs and soda if it also gives everyone health care.

.[/QUOTE]
Why not just propose a VAT or a flat tax, both of which are regressive as well but also Constitutional?Why only cigs and soda and not alcohol, red meat, Vaping, motorcycles etc and other things that are ‘bad’ for you?

[baldgriff]

Do you not think law enforcement or military or firefighters as having skills and talent learned by another person to aid you? We as a society all agree that is part of the basic package we pay for so that all society has access to those things. By your logic, we should go back to private police forces and fire stations that only serve those who can afford to pay them, and maybe privatize the military as well?

No I have been pretty clear that one of the area that the government is responsible for running is "infrastructure" and "citizen safety". As such, the taxes I pay are used to pay our police, firefighters and military.

I do not believe citizens health to be something the government is responsible, as I should be able to decide whether I smoke or not, drink water or alcohol, and I should be responsible for the long term effects of those decisions. It is not the governments responsibility to make doctors heal the guy who has been smoking 4 packs a day and has heart disease, or the guy who drinks a case of beer a day and has cirrhosis of the liver.

[nots]

You still haven't answered--would you be for universal coverage for children? Do you think that is something worth finding a practical way to pay for?

I have never thought about it but probably not. I would have to think more about it. We still have free clinics in cities and Obamacare has/had a mandatory penalty for non-compliance, so I would guess that would cover a very high percentage of children. (Plus, obviously, the overwhelming majority of kids getting health care thru their oarent’s job or jobs. Plus, I assume folks without insurance can still walk into urgent care and ER’s and receive treatment. How many kids wouldn’t fall under one of those umbrellas?

[Sour Masher]

Why not just propose a VAT or a flat tax, both of which are regressive as well but also Constitutional?Why only cigs and soda and not alcohol, red meat, Vaping, motorcycles etc and other things that are ‘bad’ for you?

Good point. I'd be in favor in taxing anything that data clearly shows significantly increases medical costs .

[DMT]

I have never thought about it but probably not. I would have to think more about it.

Wow, that takes courage to admit publicly.

[Sour Masher]

I do not believe citizens health to be something the government is responsible, as I should be able to decide whether I smoke or not, drink water or alcohol, and I should be responsible for the long term effects of those decisions. It is not the governments responsibility to make doctors heal the guy who has been smoking 4 packs a day and has heart disease, or the guy who drinks a case of beer a day and has cirrhosis of the liver.

I agree, you should have the right to do whatever you want with your body. However, you focus on forcing the government pay for treatment for a guy smoking 4 packs a day. What about all the people who live healthy lives that also get sick for reasons beyond their control? Just sucks to be them, I guess. For lots of hard working people, when they get sick enough, they are better off dead than alive in our society, because they are such a financial burden to their families. I think that is egregious and should not stand in a nation with the resources to do something about it.

[nots]

Wow, that takes courage to admit publicly.

Yes, responding emotionally to every decision is the easier route

[DMT]

Yes, responding emotionally to every decision is the easier route

Saying that the richest country on earth can't afford to care for its sick children is a great look, keep it up.

[nots]

Saying that the richest country on earth can't afford to care for its sick children is a great look, keep it up.

Is that what I said? Or did I say that the government shouldn’t mandate it due to their long pattern of inefficiency?
So typical of you to make a ridiculous virtue signaling point.

[DMT]

Is that what I said? Or did I say that the government shouldn’t mandate it due to their long pattern of inefficiency?
So typical of you to make a ridiculous virtue signaling point.

Well since you went back and edited your reply that I was responding to, apparently you realized how awful it appeared.

[nots]

Well since you went back and edited your reply that I was responding to, apparently you realized how awful it read.

I guess you never had a reading comprehension class. I said ‘I need to think more about it’. I then did think more about it and responded in greater detail. But yeah, +1 to you.

[TranaGreg]

sigh.

I'm happy to live somewhere that we allow people to have their vices ... and don't withhold medical services from them because of it.

Life's hard enough as it is.

[Sour Masher]

sigh.

I'm happy to live somewhere that we allow people to have their vices ... and don't withhold medical services from them because of it.

Life's hard enough as it is.

I should be clear that I'm for this too. But any time this comes up, how to pay for it is a major issue, and I think universal healthcare should happen, so I'm willing to concede many things I wouldn't want to for that greater good.