What is the Dems Plan?

Last weekend, CongressCritter Steve Cohen was interviewed by Neil Cavuto and 1) disputed the fact that according to the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, over 1/2 of Americans don't pay Federal Income Taxes and 2) that even if that were true, these 50% of Americans shouldn't pay any because they are poor and can't afford it like the "rich".

Apparently, I wasn't the only taxpayer that took note of Mr. Cohen's answer and he too wants to hear Mr. Cohen's plan for how he would reduced the deficit.
From the Commercial Appeal

Kudos to U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen for his candor regarding the fairness of the tax code. When confronted by Neil Cavuto with facts showing that the rich already pay most of the taxes while half of Americans pay no income tax at all, Cohen acknowledged that fairness is not the real issue. Comparing the federal government to "bank robbers," Cohen explained that the real reason the rich are targeted is because "that's where the money is."

What Cohen fails to mention, however, is the fact that taxing only the rich will not raise enough revenue to solve our nation's debt problem. The balanced approach advocated by the Democrats will require raising taxes on families earning well below $250,000 who do not consider themselves to be rich. I therefore urge Cohen to put forth a specific, detailed deficit reduction plan so that we can see exactly whose taxes he plans to raise and by how much.

Brian Teepe

Cordova

In the comments, one supporter of Mr. Cohen offered up this summary of Mr. Cohen's plan.
cpcobb writes:

"Congressman Steve Cohen supports President Obama's plan for reducing the federal deficit. In a city where so many citizens are dependent upon social security, medicare, and medicaid, Congressman Cohen has said he does not want these benefits reduced, so he is in favor of reduced defense spending, closing corporate tax loopholes, and raising taxes on those whose income is $250,000 and more -- that is, Obama's plan. Congressman Cohen is championing the Memphis Aerotropolis, a long-term development plan to boost Memphis business. Personally, I would like to see corporate tax loopholes closed but at the same time have the corporate capital gains tax rate reduced to promote business development. All things considered, Congressman Steve Cohen is the best person to represent the best interests of all Memphis citizens in the federal government."

My answer to this was:

"Actually BO/BS doesn’t have a plan. He never put one down on paper.

1) SS, M/C, and M/D are broke. They have to be restructured if anybody is going to be benefiting from them in the near future.

2) BO/BS's idea to close the "loophole" for corporate jet owners would only put $3 Billion into the treasury over the next decade according to Bloomberg.

3) You could eliminate Defense spending ~which is the main job of the federal government~ and still only reduce the deficit by 1/3.

4) The rich don't earn enough to cover what Congress spends each year.
From 2009 per the IRS:

AGI over $200K = $1,964.3 B Taxes paid = $434.3 B
AGI under $200K = $5,861.1 B Taxes paid = $431.6 B
Individual Income Taxes paid in 2009 = $865.9 Billion.

You could confiscate all incomes over $200K and NOT cover DemonRat Congressional Spending.

You could double all individual income taxes and NOT cover DemonRat Congressional Spending.

The problem is spending, pure and simple. We send enough $$ to politicians in D.C.
The National Debt has increased by $4.8 Trillion since Mr. Cohen was elected to Congress in 2006. His plan is to continue to buy votes by spending taxpayers money. Taxpayers can’t afford him anymore."

Another commenter ~New Guy~ took issue with my facts from the IRS about how much the rich could pay with this comment:

"this statement is factually incorrect in composition statistics intended to be misleading. As reported quite widely in news (including Fox) the return of rates to 2001 levels for 200k/250k people would raise $70B alone. That is a 3%-4.5% increase in their marginal rate only. I'm not suggesting it be this, but if you raised it 70%, it would be well over the deficit all by itself."

To which I replied:

"You must have went to Memphis City Schools and flunked math. $70 Billion does not even touch this year's deficit. The deficit for 2009 was $1,400 Billion; 2010 was $1,300 Billion and it's on track to be $1,600 Billion this year. The Federal government will spend $3,800 Billion this year and borrow $1,645 Billion.
If you taxed those $200K and up at 100%, you would only get $869 Billion."

Mr. Cohen, What's Balanced about 51% of Americans that pay NO Fed Taxes?

CongressCritter Steve Cohen tries to make the case for "shared sacrifice" and is called on it by Neil Cavuto.



Since Mr. Cohen apparently doesn't know that 51% of Americans don't pay Federal Income taxes, here is the letter from the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.

In summary, for tax year 2009, approximately 22% of all tax units, including filers and non filers, will have zero income tax liability, approximately 30% will receive a refundable credit, and approximately 49% will have a positive income tax liability.

Now granted I didn't go to Memphis City Schools, but 100 - 49 = 51.

Here's another little factoid for Mr. Cohen. There aren't enough rich to tax to cover the deficit. From the Dailymail.com From the IRS: 8,274 people with incomes of $10 million per year or more — earned a total of $240 billion in 2009. You could confiscate all their income and only run the government for 24 days. Also, individual tax collections totaled $1,175,422,000,000 in 2009. Doubling federal income taxes for everyone would still leave us $400 billion or so shy of balancing the budget.

What budget have you ever balanced, Mr. Cohen?

The Cain Doctrine on Israel

Today, Herman Cain is having a big announcement where most likely he will announce his candidacy for POTUS. He is one of my top picks. I can't wait for debates with Mr. Cain and the rest of the Republican field.



Mr. Cain is an adult who understands the importance of America as a force for good in not only the Middle East, but the world.

A couple of quotes from Mr. Cain. on Israel.

BO/BS has "A disregard for Israel having the right to make it's own decisions." BO/BS criticized President Bush for trying to force his "will" on other countries; why does he think he should be able to tell Israel what to do?

The Cain Doctrine: "You mess with Israel; you are messing with the United States of America." Couldn't have said it better myself.

Can't wait to hear your announcement today.

Steve Cohen: Take lessons from Allen West

How many Congressmen do you see pumping gas for their constituents? I know Pelosi Lapdog Steve Cohen wouldn't. This is why Lt. Colonel Allen West’s men loved him. He truly is a public servant. D.C needs more like him.

TN-9 Steve Cohen on Hellcare

TN-9 Steve Cohen was on Neil Cavuto on Friday, January 14, 2010 discussing the hellcare bill.



Rep Steve Cohen posted it on his Facebook page and what follows is the conversation/debate that I had with Mr. Cohen and a couple of his supporters.

Me: This so called “Healthcare Reform Monstrosity” you passed against the will of the people is unconstitutional. It's also an economics nightmare. There are better economic fixes than this "healthcare reform" bill. There's a reason that pre...-existing conditions are limiting to coverage. It's an economic issue. Let's let insurance compete over state lines. Why not let individuals deduct their premiums like business do. Let consumers decide what kind of coverage they want; Cadillac that covers everything or basic catastrophic. We need free market solutions, not top down control from D.C.

Supporter #1: Against the will of the people is quite a strong generalization- there are those for and against the bill, which is only natural, and very true regarding the health care reform since it is so new. However, there are most certainly those for... the health care reform and, like most change, it will take time, some adjustment, and patience. The act does not take away from competition nor does it take the decision away from the consumer regarding which insurance company to use. If anything, the act is meant to provide more protection for the consumer in addition to enhancing competition.

Supporter @2: You obviously have the income level and health care coverage to put down those that you're afraid might take a dollar out of your pocket. I pay for my own health care coverage with an individual policy not involving an employer, so don't worry that this is coming from someone that's trying to rob you. How would you feel if you had a family member dying from a disease they couldn't afford treatments for that could possibly save their life? Much differently, I suspect. This subject totally disgusts me. Open your eyes and join the real world.

Me: The majority of Americans did not and do not want this monstrosity. 60% want it repealed. Why do you think that the House flipped in such a huge way? Not only did the House of Reps flip, but so did governorships, state legislatures, right...t down to the counties. The only reason Steve Cohen didn't get beat is because his district is majority AA and AA's vote 90% for Dems.

We, the consumer, won't have a choice. If our plan changes in any way, we go to a government exchange. It also takes away competition because it's going to cause insurance companies to go out of business. Companies will off-load their insurance costs to the government option because it will be cheaper to pay the penalty than to pay insurance. It also takes away choice in that if the government won't pay for your procedure, then you can't pay for it yourself. Currently, if your insurance doesn't pay, you have the option to pay out of your own pocket.

Look at the Canadian and British HC systems. There are long waits, terrible conditions in their hospitals and they are going broke. There are already many doctors that are not taking new m/c patients. Why is that? It's not because they are greedy. It's because they can't pay their staff and expenses on what the government "deems" to pay them. Why do you think there's a whole cottage industry of med-sup insurance?

Above all, it's unconstitutional. Congress/government cannot mandate us to purchase something, or put us in jail if we don't purchase their product. It's a loss of freedom; pure and simple.


‎Me: @ Supporter #2; I have a daughter that is in the process of getting a kidney transplant. We spent 16 days at Le Bonheur last summer with 8 of those being in PICU. She has dialysis 3 days a week. She went from having a stomach bug, to dehydration, to HUS, to kidney failure. Yes, I am grateful that my husband has a job with excellent coverage, but he works hard for it. I also am grateful for the excellent care and the technologies that have been developed because of our current healthcare system.

I can speak from experience because I have a daughter that now has a huge pre-existing condition. I also know economics though. Insurance companies pool risk. If they pay out more than they take in, they go out of business. They are not like the government which prints money. I also know that there are many kids who are at Le Bonheur with no insurance; so don't give me that only rich people get the best care. I know different.


Steve Cohen: there is no government option.Only insurance companies in exchange.It's insurance reform!children on opolicy of parents til 26;no pre-existing condition disqualification or recision on getting sick or lfetime or yearly caps ;donut hole to be filled;small business subsidies for theier health insurance etc.READ THE BILL!!!

Me: Obama, Barney Frank, and Jan Schakowsky in their own words about single payer, government healthcare.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-bY92mcOdk&feature=player_embedded
The goal is to drive insurance business out of business.

Who is going to pay for this? It's been tried. It doesn't work. It's an economic nightmare. What do you know about how a business works? How to meet a payroll? How to make a profit? You've spent all of your adult life in government. When have you run a business?

Over 250 waivers have been given to companies exempting them from the rigors of the law so that they can stay in business. If it's so good for business, why do they need a waiver?

Steve Cohen: Public option is not law;not the exchange either.Exchange is all private insurance which involves free market competition and that gets better rates for citizens.

Of course the “public option” is not the law. But we all know that as increased government regulation makes it more and more expensive and less and less profitable for private insurance companies to conduct business, competition will decrease until eventually the government is the only payer. It is insulting, disingenuous and incredibly short-sighted to suggest that market conditions will remain static as this law gets implemented. Just look at what has happened in MA since they have implemented the precursor to this monstrosity of a hellcare bill you have passed. http://wizbangblog.com/content/2010/04/06/massachusetts-health-care-system-killing-insurance-companies.php
What does the Federal takeover of student loans have to do with healthcare? If this system is so good for all of us Americans, why isn’t it good enough for you in Congress? I’d be more inclined to listen, if you weren’t being such a hypocrite about it. This is about control; pure and simple. More government control over individual American lives.

Steve Cohen: Wrong again.Congress under same law as everyone.READ THE BILL!and what we did with student lopans was fiscally wise and necessary for law,students,and colleges.Unless you like private lenders making millions off our students who need loans and do so with no risk as loans can't be bankrupted and were guaranteed then you should say halleluah...thanks..right on!And insurance is going nowhere.They'll have 32 million new customers who must buy product.

Me: Herein lies the difference between big government liberals like you and limited government conservatives like me; you believe that government is the answer to any problem. You believe that individuals can’t be trusted to make choices for themselves, but must be controlled by someone in government that knows what’s best for them. You don’t think that anyone can make it on their own, but they must be helped by government. I believe that the role of the federal government is limited by our Constitution. The main purpose of government is national security. I believe in letting individuals make choices that are best for themselves and their families. I don’t look to a politician in DC to solve my problems for me. I believe that private enterprise is more efficient than government bureaucracies and can do a better job 99% of the time ~and that includes healthcare and student loans~
We
I didn’t really expect to get anything but the left’s talking points from you on healthcare, ~and I haven’t been disappointed~ but I have been surprised by your condescending tone to a taxpayer such as myself that pays your salary. You r comments have confirmed to me that you have given no significant or intellectually honest thought to the long-term implications of this healthcare bill to our economy or our healthcare system. Forgive me for expecting more from the people who we send to Washington to represent us.

MidSouth TeaParty: OBAMACARE ROCKS!
http://www.atr.org/comprehensive-list-tax-hikes-obamacare-a5758#

I'm surprised that Mr. Cohen hasn't deleted my comments. I think it's important to ask questions of our elected officials. What is the Constitutional authority for what they pass? They need to know that we are paying attention.