McCain's "No New Taxes" Lie!
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
September 28, 2008 1:15am CST
How many times have we all heard John McCain promise he won't raise taxes on anyone and that he wants to make Bush's tax cuts permanent plus cut them even more? How many times has he accused Barack Obama of planning to raise ALL of our taxes? How many of you here take McCain at his word and are actually a bit hesitant to vote for Obama simply because you fear our taxes will go up?
Relax...it's yet another one of the McCain camp's LIES!!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122152292213639569.html
If you're a conservative Republican you've probably also had reservations about Obama's health care plan, fearing it will mean a tax increase for everyone to be covered, right? As it turns out, it's McCain's health care plan that will likely raise your taxes rather than Obama's. The link I posted is to the Wall Street Journal, hardly some liberal publication, I think we can all agree on that. I hope you'll take a look at this article before commenting but to sum it up briefly the truth is McCain's proposal is to tax the amount your employer pays for you health insurance so if you earn $50,000/year and your employer contributes $5000 to your health plan you'll be taxed on $55,000 instead of $50,000. McCain is also proposing a $5000 tax credit for couples and $2500 for individuals to help pay for health care. That may sound great until you realize the average health insurance costs over $12,000 annually and some people don't OWE $5000 in federal income taxes a year. It's predicted many employers will drop health coverage for their workers due to the tax increase. I think his plan will make our health care crisis worse rather than better.
Any thoughts?
Annie
3 people like this
13 responses
@zydecokitten (451)
• United States
28 Sep 08
The Republicans on myLot have been referring to Obama's Lies time and again but when asked what they were they fell apart. I have however heard many lies out of the mouth of McCain and only excuses and no answers out of the mouth of Palin who could be anyone off the street as far as her qualifications for a political position. Thanks for posting this. Let me add:
Regarding tax breaks for medical insurance, most companies allow their employees to pay for these benefits with tax free money. This gives them more money in their pocket IMMEDIATELY. McCain wants to remove that option and make them get the money back at the end of the year with a tax credit. So, that is not a benefit to anyone. Believe me, I know what I am talking about, in my role in Human Resources Management, I administered benefits, many plans allow you to put aside money to pay for expenses that are not covered under your benefit plan and deductibles and co-pays (with pre-tax money). So the governmemt is not holding your money and making interest off it, you get the money right up front.
The more plans administered by the government, the lousier they get.
I think it is time to call it what it is, Lies from McCain. No information or knowledge from the snowbunny Palin.
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
18 Nov 08
"And I'd note that Obama's plan is not about the government taking over and running health care. It's about rewarding health insurance companies that cut their costs by following best practices in medicine AND insurance."
It's so refreshing to see someone else say that! It seems like whenever some people hear anything about "health care for all Americans", "Universal health care" or whatever other words are used to describe it they hear "GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE" and think "INCREASED TAXES" and that's not the case. We haven't even see the details yet and people are going nuts.
Annie
@chameleonsdream (1230)
• United States
28 Sep 08
And I'd note that Obama's plan is not about the government taking over and running health care. It's about rewarding health insurance companies that cut their costs by following best practices in medicine AND insurance. It's about taking some of those savings and investing them in needed medical research and education. It's about reducing the cost of private insurance to taxpayers by reducing what it costs the insurers to administer their plans and pay out on claims. These are things that make -common sense- when you understand them, but are a lot more difficult to explain than a simple "I'll give you back $5,000 at the end of the year." It's not a lie - it's just completely inaccurate and inadequate.
1 person likes this
@chameleonsdream (1230)
• United States
28 Sep 08
Obama's plan is well-thought out and reasonable. It makes sense, and the only reason people don't get it is that there's no catchy way to describe it - not like 'I'll give you $5000!" People keep talking about choosing substance over style - they miss the fact that the one with substance is Obama. I'll choose good ideas over bad experience any day.
2 people like this
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
28 Sep 08
I'm about to go out and don't have time to find a FAIR article that describes this properly. If you really think this article is in any way fair, just read the title, or better yet, look at who wrote it.
"Mr. Cutler is professor of economics at Harvard and an adviser to Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Mr. DeLong is professor of economics at University of California, Berkeley. Ms. Marciarille is adjunct law professor at McGeorge School of Law."
Note, I'd trust Obama's adviser to be more fair than some moron from Berkeley. That's where they breed morons like Jonny Walker, the American al Quaeda. It's also where they tried to ban military recruiting.
1 person likes this
@CherylsPearls (1269)
• United States
29 Sep 08
Here is the same information at: http://www.factcheck.org/mccains_5000_promise.html
Video at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553/#scroll_live-vote
I am sure there are many more. Besides, like Annie said, you can always look it up on McCain's website. For me, healthcare is an important issue. I have it for myself, as a retiree, but many do not. Healthcare should be available to every US citizen, just as it is in all other civilized countries.
1 person likes this
@pastorkayte (2255)
• United States
28 Sep 08
Again Annie, I totally agree with you. Another thing that should be considered is that with McCains plan, people who have health issues where health care hikes are general will end up owing even more money that we can ill afford. I am a diabetic and health care for me would be more than 30,000 a year so his 5000 would make me owe the government an additional 12 to 15 thousand a year. Under Obama I would pay 8 percent of what I make overall all year and be able to afford my health insurance. That seems like a better deal overall to me.
2 people like this
@Moneyseekerz (53)
• United States
29 Sep 08
Ah, You see, McCain is yes giving 5000 Dollars to Couples as you said ( in a tax break) And not all but MOST people owe at least 5000 dollars in tax's when they are a couple especially if they are in the working class. Which is what I presume he is speaking of also Home owners tax or whatever you call it. Also your point on health care costs 12000 dollars annually is a very good point but here's a counter statement. What if the company's were to not Drop health care immediately but rather. Cut their budget for it another 3000-5000 a person in the end I think we will stay at the exact same point at which we are in the health care region that is.
For the rest of the economy however... We will probably go Very close to a depression or at the very least be so far in debt that it will take years to pay it off.
1 person likes this
@Moneyseekerz (53)
• United States
29 Sep 08
Oh, and note to that. If you do not owe 5000 dollars in tax's then you could just have no tax's I may be incorrect here. SO correct me if I am wrong.
1 person likes this
@Bd200789 (2994)
• United States
28 Sep 08
I agree. No one in my family has ever owed that much in taxes, so it wouldn't help us at all. Honestly, I don't believe a word McCain says anymore. I'm not a Republican, but if I had been, I'd still have reservations about voting for him.
@CherylsPearls (1269)
• United States
29 Sep 08
Of course it's a lie. McCain is full of them. And to be honest, I don't think most people who are "for" McCain actually have checked out the issues. I think they have just taken him for face value and think he is coming to save us all. lol
If anyone would actually read about the issues on the various websites, like CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, or Factcheck.org, etc., they would be better able to judge what voting for him means.
1 person likes this
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
28 Sep 08
I don't remember -- did he say, "Read my lips"???
Sadly for my finances, I had more than $20,000 in tax deductions for medical expenses last year, and I DO have medical insurance. Co-payments add up fast. How could I possibly make ends meet if it weren't for those deductions? It's really hard already. But that's just me. Most people have either no insurance, or coverage that's not as good as mine. Are they to just lie down and die?
Teachers here in Miami are working without having agreed upon insurance coverage yet, so we still have last year's coverage. We know that, when the School Board and the Union come to terms, it's going to hit us really hard. Who can afford this?
McCain's plan would literally leave a lot of people without needed care or homeless.
@zydecokitten (451)
• United States
30 Sep 08
cobrateacher, check your insurance policy, most policies have a maximum dollar amount that you would have to put out per year in deductibles and co-pay's and then the plan kicks in to pay 100%. If your plan is through your employer, check with your plan administrator. If not check your booklet. This sounds unreasonable to me.
2 people like this
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
30 Sep 08
Thanks tip, but I've done all sorts of checking, and so have my Union representatives. At this point, they're telling me to pray that I don't max out before I get old enough for Medicare. It's really intimidating
1 person likes this
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
28 Sep 08
I had already heard this and I think that it's nuts. Health care costs have always been tax deductible. I think his $5,000 is a slap in the face and doesn't do a darn thing for the Americans that do not have health care.
1 person likes this
@bestboy19 (5478)
• United States
30 Sep 08
Hardly an unbiased opinion since Cutler is an adviser for Obama, DeLong was in the Clinton administration, and Marciarille is DeLong's wife.
@bestboy19 (5478)
• United States
30 Sep 08
All right, I do think McCain will try to keep his promises and Obama will over tax us; but that's what democrats like to do, tax. Their attitude seems to be, Let me take from the hard working Americans who earned their way and give it to the sick, lame, and lazy so I can get their vote.
@magnolia17 (39)
•
28 Sep 08
I agree with you. I think most people, who are lucky enough to get health care from work, do not realize how much it is actually worth. As you correctly point out, in a group health plan, the cost can be $12,000 a year. You are also right that getting a credit for health care won't help if you don't owe enough to use it. The very people who need it most, of course, will be the people for whom the credit is not enough. Also a lot of low-income earners work 35 hours here and 35 hours there because their employer is quite deliberately not making them fulltime. If you make $25,000 a year form two, piddly jobs, you are not likely to use $12,000 of it to pay for health care, even if you really did $5,000 of that back. So it's help for some people, but not the people who really need it.
1 person likes this
@Moneyseekerz (53)
• United States
29 Sep 08
Also Considering that very few of us on this website are nearly as smart or experienced as they are I suggest that we simply make comments on it not state which way is better. I personnely think that many of Obama's ideas are very good whereas I also find some of McCain to be very good. SO unless you are ( not to say you as in anyone else but me included) are as knowledgeable in these things as they are just simply comment instead of Stating facts.
PS: All politicians lie its a fact of life! So don't rag on one or the other =D kthx
1 person likes this
