Healthy reform or heart attack on a stick?

The health care bill text is online. These House changes have to be reconciled to the original text as passed by the Senate on Dec. 24, 2009, Christmas Eve.

This hugely complicated bill is reportedly a nice big present to some but many question if it’s just the gift that keeps on giving to the federal government: more taxes, more government jobs and government pensions paid for by a shrinking private sector and yes, more taxes.

I was naively hoping for a full federal tax deduction and maybe even a tax credit for the HMO premiums I already pay every month so I could keep the government out of my health care completely. But it doesn’t look like this bill goes in that direction.

Was also hoping the government would remove restrictions for selling insurance across state lines and let health care insurers compete nationally. And was hoping government would let single buyers like me buy into group insurance plans so I can reduce my individual rate to the rate given to big companies with lots of employees. These changes are small but would help private businesses become more competitive and lower premiums across the board. Let the marketplace work.

But it does not appear that the includes this and it will take a lot of work to figure it out. But the vote is this weekend so who knows what all this means!?

Considering that every dime we send the government gets spent 5 times over by the mandarin class, is this just another excuse rack up more federal debt? And since increases in income taxes for anyone are included in the price of everything we buy, we’ll feel the cost of this program every time we go to the store.

For example, the government is not supposed to tax food and water. It’s a “right to life” issue as reflected in the Declaration of Independence. But since everyone involved in the process of creating food and delivering it to the store is taxed on their income, that’s reflected in the price of the food we buy. Hidden taxes.

We currently pay at the checkout stand to cover any income taxes paid in the production of food — and soon these federal insurance premium taxes too will be included in the cost of our lettuce. So everyone, including the poorest among us, will pay more at the checkout stand to pay for the hidden cost of all these income taxes.

In response, people will shift to cheaper food, which is food that’s nutrient poor, and obesity and poor health issues will be further compounded. People will be unhealthier, more stressed and need more health care which will cost everyone more in taxes. And round and round and round we go.

Has Mrs. Obama, when she isn’t tending her garden or educating people on healthy eating, read this health insurance premiums tax bill?

Oh, I forgot. The text of this bill just went online today so no one’s read it yet. How anyone will get through it all before the vote this weekend is beyond me.

I’ve got a great idea! Let’s abolish income taxes for anyone involved in food production since we simply pay for those taxes at the grocery store and no one should pay any taxes on food and water. Less than 2% of our population is involved now in food production anyway so the feds shouldn’t miss it much but it would be like giving a raise to everyone who eats.  

With the money we save at the grocery store, we’d buy good, nutrient dense foods. We’d be healthier and need less medical care. And we’d have money in our pockets to pay our medical insurance premiums — which would also be lower since we’d be so healthy and  stress free! And premiums would be lower since there would be more companies competing to provide health coverage for such a healthy pool of people! And since we’d be healthier, we’d have more energy to spend more time working, therefore ultimately producing more income for the feds to tax!

There you go! Lower income taxes for those in food production equal lower food prices resulting in more pocket change for everyone! And healthier, happier workers results in an increasing income base, a bigger income pie, which ultimately delivers more income to the feds to tax.

There! Now everyone’s happy — and healthy!