March 23 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama faces a fight over the health-care overhaul from states that sued today because the legislation’s expansion of Medicaid imposes a fiscal strain on their cash-strapped budgets.
Call the Governor Chris Christie at 609-292-6000
Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania are among 14 states that filed suit after the president signed the bill over the constitutionality of the burden imposed by the legislation. The health-care overhaul will make as many as 15 million more Americans eligible for Medicaid nationwide starting in 2014 and will cost the states billions to administer.
States faced with unprecedented declines in tax collections are cutting benefits and payments to hospitals and doctors in Medicaid, the health program for the poor paid jointly by state and U.S. governments. The costs to hire staff and plan for the average 25 percent increase in Medicaid rolls may swamp budgets, said Toby Douglas, who manages the Medicaid program for California, which hasn’t joined the lawsuits.
“The states are coming through the worst fiscal period in the history of record keeping,” said Vernon Smith, a former Medicaid director for Michigan and now a principal at the research and consulting firm Health Management Associates in Lansing, Michigan. “Medicaid is the most significant, most visible and most costly part of this expansion and states fully expect to see increases in their spending.”
California’s Deficit
For California, with a $20 billion budget deficit (FYI New Jersey is $11 billion), the extra load will cost at least an additional $2 billion to $3 billion annually, said Douglas, chief deputy director for California’s health care programs. He said the overhaul is currently projected to add 1.6 million people to the 7 million enrolled in his state’s program.
>BOE is separate – here is thier list as of Friday as published on NJ.com. (Not sure what Teacher/parent conferences is – did we pay extra for those? Makes sense to see communications person going, that is a waste of money.)
The proposed cuts, which were in addition to cuts proposed last week, include: Teacher/parent conferences ($57,060); two additional supervisors ($205,183); reading recovery ($191,865); an art teacher from either one of the two middle schools ($88,898); director of curriculum ($149,907); one elementary school teacher and two middle school teachers ($212,660); two middle school guidance counselors ($134,709); additional secretary cuts ($136,708); elementary instructional music ($199,981); 8.5 elementary school teachers ($510,000); flattening out special education purchases ($38,252); capital fund ($850,000); one utility person ($38,893); one staff developer ($59,000); one public information officer ($36,894); one crisis counselor ($82,283); and one middle school assistant principal ($104,813). Officials also proposed increasing student activity fees by $122,000.
Sad, but they can’t just continue to raise our taxes. A budget should be worked within, and a 4% increase should be enough.
>Village Council Set to Discuss Personnel Reductions during Open Public Meeting
Village Council members are scheduled to discuss “2010 Budget – Personnel Reductions” during their next scheduled Work Session. This meeting, open to all members of the public, will be held in the Sydney V. Stoldt, Jr. Courtroom at Village Hall beginning at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, March 24th.
The Ridgewood News’ website (www.theridgewoodnews.com) is reporting that Council members are planning to lay off 26 union employees. However, unconfirmed reports are that the total number of lay offs will exceed 30.
Targeted employees are said to include members of the following Village departments: Tax Collector (entire department to be laid off), Water (1), Police (3), Fire (9), Sanitation, Streets, Building/Zoning, and Parks & Recreation. Additional departments may be impacted as well.
Last year at about this time, several residents cautioned Council members that excessive spending on such projects as the Vets Field bathrooms, parking garage studies, Schedler property purchase, Habernickel Park upgrades, and Graydon Pool studies could lead to budget shortfalls in 2010, which might result in lay offs.
Let’s just wait for Wednesday and see if Council members try to blame all of their budget problems on the loss of State of NJ aid. What do you think?
>The Village skatepark will reopen on or before April 1st, at the hockey rink adjacent to The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue.
Join Ridgewood Parks and Recreation on Saturday, April 17th, for a free clinic. Instructor Ketan Malhotra will be on board to offering following schedule:
• 12:00 to 12:15 pm – Meet Skateboarders
• 12:15 to 12:30 pm – Basics/Stretching/Skill Building (by age)
• 12:30 to 1:00 pm – Open Skating
The facility will be open daily from 9 a.m. to sunset. Posted rules and regulations must be followed. Use is limited to skateboards and inline skates. For your child’s safety, please note protective equipment is required at all times.
For further information, kindly contact the Recreation office at 201-670-5560.
THIS COMING THURSDAY!!! God And Country – The Vision of Our Founding Fathers – A Historical Remembrance March 25, 2010 (Thursday) – 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS – 70 Pascack Road, Township of Washington 07676, NJ
Join us in celebrating our rich history with a theatrical recitation of quotes from some of our Founding Fathers and musical songs with Anthony Tabish.
PLEASE NOTE: This Event is being presented in a different location than originally posted. Special Guest: Peter Ferrara, ESQ. – Constitutional lawyer from the ACRU (American Civil Rights Union) The event is free and light refreshments will be served afterwards
When: Tuesday, March 23, at 7:30 PM (doors open at 7) Where: Temple Israel and Jewish Community Center, 475 Grove St., Ridgewood Directions: From the center of town, south on Prospect St. Left on Grove at traffic light. Pass Hopper and S. Irving Sts. Immediately after going over Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, take first left into driveway (before building, which is set back). Map
Parking lot behind building. Enter through back of building.
Meet special guests: Tom Riche and Bernie (Bernadette) Walsh, the only candidates for the two open Council seats who want Graydon preserved.
A geologist who will discuss environmental regulations and new discoveries regarding Graydon’s hydraulic relationship with the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook Hear news about:
Village Council’s Graydon Pool Committee; RFP update How Graydon is disinfected; water quality improvements in 2009 and 2010 New badge fees; first-ever Early Bird discount, on sale April 1 Graydon photos wanted
…for upcoming Graydon calendar. Old pictures welcome. Supply approximate dates. Except in very old photos, anyone identifiable must supply written release. BRING PICTURES TO MEETING or send digital photos or questions to photos@PreserveGraydon.org .
> If your looking to run ads or get in touch with the Ridgewood Blog please send all correspondence to onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
thank you for your support!!!!
*IMPORTANT NOTE: Please try to sent us JPEG’s ,PDF files are very difficult to work with PHOTOS Press Releases Special Events Garage Sales Open Houses Birthday’s Open Houses Birth Announcements Obits Tips News ADVERTS blogging
>Rightfully or not, this issue boils down to numbers.
*Money coming in: there is no more room to borrow or tax. Bond investors will start charging NJ high rates to borrow extra dollars, and high income taxpayers have options (like moving to Florida) instead of staying in NJ and subjecting themselves to increased property, sales and income taxes. We have little or no room to increase money coming in via taxes or borrowing.
*Money going out the door: the biggest line items here are wages, benefits and pensions of teachers, firemen, cops and other public union members. This, by necessity, is where the budget must change. That is, we must cut the # of employees getting salary, benefits and pension, or we must cut the amount spent on salary, benefits and pension, or some combination of both.
As for financial services, as an industry, it is very much culpable for this current financial crisis. Then again, public union members were beneficiaries of the inflating financial bubble, as their salaries/benefits/wages could be increased as taxpayer rolls swelled, and the actuarial assumptions on their investment returns swelled, too. Now that the bubble has popped, so too have tax rolls and pension funds. The reality here is that many people benefited by the easy credit and gigantic bonuses typical of the recent financial bubble. For instance, how many high end restaurants opened up in Ridgewood or Bergen County since 2002? I’ve read stories on Ridgewood’s Cheese Shop and they’d get $10-20K orders by Wall St execs planning lavish parties. We now know about the Cheese Shop’s demise, as we know full well about the State of NJ’s budget demise as well. Again, all the beneficiaries on the bubble’s way up must now suffer adverse consequences on the bubble’s deflation.
I appreciate the hard work teachers do, and in good and bad towns alike, they do great work. But so too do people across multiple sectors and industries. There is no need to personalize attacks on teachers. Unfortunately, the numbers and the fiscal reality speak for themselves.
>As a teacher in the district, I find it terribly disheartening to be generically characterized as more or less worthless by the original blogger on this thread. Are we “curing cancer”? No. Did we have more of an impact on shaping people to cure cancer than “PJ Blogger” has? My guess is yes. It speaks volumes about the directions our values have taken to make teachers the first and biggest target of attack by constituents of Chris Christie– if only this same vitriol was directed at the many residents of this and other towns who were responsible for the near collapse of the entire economic system…but heaven forbid we raise your property taxes or hold anyone “above the fray” (read: making over $400,00 a year) responsible for this so-called “shared sacrifice”.
This kind of “keep your hand out of my pocket”, “dog eat dog” mentality is nothing short of shameful. I teach your children, fans of “PJ Blogger”. And when I go to sleep at night, I know that I’ve taught them to value respect, reason, and the insight to seek out the truth over the politricks. At least that makes one of us.
Reader answers…
“Nicole’, thanks for chiming in. Its apparent that you are a clueless union member. Do you think some minion who is a local resident who might work for a financial firm is ‘ responsible for the near collapse of the entire economic system…”(your words) That moronic statement shows your lack of aptitude, and it is SCARY that you are a teacher. Any chance that YOUR pension fund might be invested in stocks, bonds, and some of those AIG financial swap contracts that helped the house of cards collapse? Oh I forgot, you’re a teacher. Just like Colonel Klink said ‘I hear nothing, I see nothing’. Do you think your retirement money is under Corzines bed??? Seriously next time you post, try ‘engaging brain before putting mouth in gear’. And your statement ‘but heaven forbid we raise your property taxes’ makes me take it further. How about we reduce your pay and cut benefits? Do us a favor.. go on strike. There are PLENTY of qualified candidates without a piss poor attitude that will cheerfully take your place.
Bart Stupak has cut a deal w/Obama in which the President will create an executive order eliminating the funding of abortion that exists in the Senate Bill. This in turn for Stupak’s “yes” vote on HC.
But, Executive Orders are nearly worthless as long term guarantees, since the incoming President can easily change them.
Deal Watch Blog https://www.nrcc.org/codered/dealwatch/?p=52
Obama Administration Awarded Hundreds of Thousands in Airport Grants to Stupak’s District Two Days Before Vote Was this Yet Another Backroom Deal to Force Obama’s Bill Down the American People’s Throats?
Three airports in the district of infamous fence-sitting and ultimately kowtowing Democrat Bart Stupak were awarded $726,409 in grants by the Obama Administration just two days before a vote on Obama and Pelosi’s government takeover of healthcare.
Did Stupak compromise his supposed principled stand against taxpayer funding of abortion in exchange for taxpayer dollars for pet projects?
Alpena County Regional Airport received a $85,500 grant, but had only 7,519 passenger boardings in 2008 (the most recent year for which there is information) according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. Alpena County Regional Airport serves fewer passengers than even the late Rep. John Murtha’s famous “Airport for Nobody.”
Delta County Airport has even less customers than that, but still received a $179,209 grant.
Chippewa County International Airport received a $461,700 grant, but had only 13,733 passenger boardings in 2008.
Will Stupak come clean about this apparent backroom deal for his vote?
Call Stupak’s district office at (989) 356-0690 and ask. https://www.nrcc.org/codered/dealwatch/?p=52
Neapolitan Recipes from Visiting Chefs and Grandmothers; Fresh, Impeccable Ingredients the Cornerstone in Simple Preparations that Celebrate Natural Flavors and Textures
(Ridgewood, NJ: March 19, 2010) A Mano, the Ridgewood Neapolitan trattoria and one of only three U.S. restaurants to receive prestigious certifications from both the Verace Pizza Napoletana and Associazone Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, the recognized authorities of Naples, Italy on traditional Neapolitan Pizza, has added Shrimp, Tilapia, Veal and Chicken entrees to their menu, along with several new appetizer, pasta, pizza and Panini options. “We are a Neapolitan restaurant and with that comes hundreds of years of traditions and classic preparations, which we bring to our patrons,” said Fred Mortati, co-owner of A Mano. “A Mano functions as both a learning center with celebrated Neapolitan chefs visiting year-round bringing with them new specialties and age old traditions. We are a culinary mecca for people who care about the craft of authentic Neapolitan pizza making and authentic Italian food preparation. Our new entrees showcase the high regard Neapolitans have for the best ingredients, bringing them together in simple preparations that allow flavors to shine through. This is simple, delicious food that brings together comfort and delight.”
Shrimp Scampi ($17.99), jumbo shrimp sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, white wine, lemon and garlic, is served over linguine. Tilapia Cartoccio ($19.99) with potatoes, onions, tomato and olives, baked in a foil poach in A Mano’s wood-burning ovens, is finished with extra virgin olive oil. Osso Buco ($24.99), braised in A Mano’s wood burning ovens in a rich onion and mushroom sauce, is served over homemade pappardelle with sautéed squash, carrot and peppers as an accompaniment. Chicken Pizzaiola ($17.99) is boneless chicken breast breaded and oven baked with tomatoes, basil, oregano, sautéed onions and finished with extra virgin olive oil.
The restaurant’s selection of 25 different pizzas, all of which are available with traditional, whole wheat and gluten-free doughs, speak to classic combinations of hand-squeezed San Marzano tomatoes, homemade Mozzarella, flavorful cured meats, delicately sautéed vegetables and a host of flavorful cow and sheep’s milk cheeses. “During his March 6th visit, master pizza chef Antonino Esposito sautéed fresh chopped spinach in butter and incorporated this into pizza dough. The result is a beautifully colored and delicately flavored Spinacci pie ($15.99), complemented when topped with our house made Mozzarella, fresh cherry tomatoes, sea salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. This will be offered as a special and available on occasion,” explained Mr. Mortati.
“There’s a beauty to our pizza, which is not always understood by the American palate: classic Neapolitan pizza is considered a slow food. It is eaten with a knife and fork. It’s not food on the go, folded in half and eaten while walking down the street. Our Caputo flour, the world’s best pizza flour which we import in bulk from Italy to make our dough with, has a special flavor all its own and we don’t want to lose that by overcooking it. So our pies (starting at $8.99), like true Neapolitan pizzas, are cooked for under 2 minutes in 1,000 degree ovens, emerging slightly charred around the edges and soft in the middle, so the flour and yeast in them can be savored.”
A Mano also imports a special Caputo pasta flour for use in the preparation of its homemade lasagna sheets, and now papparedelle (wide ribbon) and taggliatelle (thin ribbon) pastas ($12.99). “These pastas are made exactly the way they are in Naples, so the true flavors of flour and eggs are enjoyed when paired with any of our homemade sauces: tomato basil, Bolognese, pesto, alfredo and truffle cream,” added Mr. Mortati.
New appetizer, salad and Panini offerings marry traditional, how-your-grandmother-made-it preparations with new twists, such as elegant grilled artichoke hearts or tender, flash-fried calamari over salad greens ($10.99-$11.99)along with homemade meatball, sausage or Bresaola (cured beef)-filled Panini ($8.99).
A Mano is located at 24 Franklin Avenue (at the corner of Chestnut Street), Ridgewood, NJ 07450. For more information, please call 201-493-2000
I am amazed at the lack of media coverage about yesterday in DC. The little I have seen was mostly negative and painfully inaccurate. It was, for me, one of the best experiences I have ever had.
Here is a brief recon.:
1:00 -A couple of fiends and I show up at the Capital Building. The rally has already started. Easily 40,000 on the lawn, possible over 50,000. The media reported “hundreds”. A bunch of speakers – all went well.
2:00 The official rally ended and the masses went to the congressional office buildings where we peacefully visited the offices individually. Many Congressman who opposed obamacare were there to great us. Those supporting the socialist in the white house were nowhere to be found. In those offices we told their aids we will be voting them out in Nov. We were also able to leave written messages. I took a lot of joy in writing notes like “You won’t be able to get elected to dog catcher.” I think I started a trend, others soon followed with this bit of prophesy.
4:00. Things started to wind down – so I thought. I took a walk to find something to eat. I noticed a handful of people kneeling on the grass facing the Capital, praying for our country. Many people walking by, myself included, would stop for a moment and say a quick prayer in silence. What happened next, well, I wish you could have been there. People made a huge human chain around the entire Capital Building. Do you know how big that building actually is? It was like the walls of Jericho redone.
5:00 What was left of the crowd formed a impromptu rally at the steps of the Capital Building were the House meets. THIS WAS INCREDIBLE: It was just spontaneous. People just seemed to be in one spirit, chanting, singing. It went on for about an hour. What was wild was that there were only a couple of thousand people left by then. The sound going up the steps of the capital sounded like the 40-50,000 that were there hours earlier! A congressman came out waving his arms for us to scream louder – and it just went on for a while longer. Then, one by one, the congressmen who were voting against the bill came down the steps and told us what was going on in there, and how the meeting of the rules committee kept having to be stopped because of the roars from outside. By this time over a couple hundred capital police had made a barricade, some with automatic rifles, to intimidate the crowd (Some still don’t think communism is coming! They should have seen the troops file out in a show of force!) The meeting inside eventually had to be dismissed because of the crowd outside. The republican congressman were congratulating us for what seemed like a miracle.
The last speaker that I saw was a congresswoman from Ohio (I think) She was a really little woman – she said that it is not looking good. They may have the vote. She said the best thing we can do is pray to God that this horrible change to our way of life is stopped. She led the crowd in a prayer – The Lord’s Prayer. There were few dry eyes at this point in the rally.
Today sometime around 1:00, the house will vote on this bill. We all need to pray. Prayer works. This bill is the starting point for the imposter to change us to a socialist culture.
In many ways, our country has turned it’s back on God. Maybe that’s how we got in this mess in the first place. I once heard a preacher say “When you take one step towards God, God takes leaps and bounds towards you”. Please pray. AD
>Rockland County, NY — Turn off your computer and television screens and come to Suffern, NY where Rivertown Film launches its new Sunday at the Movies series at the historic Lafayette Theatre. The series will begin with Sebastián Silva’s award winning film, THE MAID on Sunday, March 14th at 11:30 AM. This Chilean film won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Rockland County-based Rivertown Film Society is devoted to celebrating, exploring and promoting the art of the motion picture through film screenings and educational programs. “We are excited to have this rare opportunity to show the best in recent foreign and art films in beautiful 35 millimeter film prints at the gorgeous, comfortable and historic Lafayette Theatre,” says Matthew Seig, Executive Director of Rivertown Film. “These critically acclaimed and award winning films really come to life on the big screen. It’s a treat to bring a friend or family member and to luxuriate in great filmmaking and rich imagery on a big screen in contrast to your computer or television screen.”
In addition, on March 21 and 28, the Meet the Filmmaker program will feature live pre and post screening appearances by individuals involved with each film. Jill Footlick, producer of the PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE will speak at the March 21 screening and novelist Robert Kaplow (ME AND ORSON WELLES) will speak at the March 28 screening. Meet the Filmmaker has been funded in part by the Experimental Television Center’s Presentation Funds program, which is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts.
All films in the Sunday series will be presented on 35mm film and shown at the Lafayette Theatre, 97 Lafayette Avenue, Suffern, NY. Tickets are available only at the door and cost $9 for general admission, $7 for students, seniors and general members, and $6 for student and senior members. More information is available by calling 845-353-2568 or by visiting www.rivertownfilm.org
The Lafayette Theatre (www.bigscreenclassics.com) is the area’s only historic single screen movie palace showing the best in first run films, classics from the golden age of cinema, and specialty programs.
“SUNDAY AT THE MOVIES” COMPLETE SCHEDULE AND FILM DESCRIPTIONS:
Sunday, March 14 – 11:30 AM THE MAID Directed by Sebastián Silva With Catalina Saavedra Chile, 2009, 95 minutes, not rated World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival
Raquel, maid to a large family, moves through the house, performing her chores day in, day out. She seem almost part of the furniture-but there’s more to her than meets the eye. Her position in the household is rocked when two new maids are brought in to help her. Raquel’s blanks are filled in, and the story veers into unexpected, rich terrain.
Sunday, March 21 – 11:30 AM PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE Directed by Rebecca Miller With Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Winona Ryder, Julianne Moore, Keanu Reeves USA, 2009, 98 minutes, rated R for sexual content, drugs
Pippa, closing in on fifty, is facing the proverbial midlife crisis. Ghosts of the wild child she’d been are at odds with the domesticated suburban wife she has become. Moving somewhat detachedly through her days, she hasn’t truly reconciled her two selves—and it’s backing up on her. Settling down in order to save oneself can be undone, because people change, and happy endings are never guaranteed.
**Meet the Filmmaker: Producer Jill Footlick**
The Meet the Filmmaker has been funded in part by the Experimental Television Center’s Presentation Funds program, which is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts.
Monday, March 28 – 11:30 AM ME AND ORSON WELLES Directed by Richard Linklater With Christian McKay, Zac Efron, Claire Danes USA, 2008, 114 minutes, rated PG-13 for sexual references
A tribute to youthful creative ambition, and a teenager’s brush with greatness, the film centers around one hectic week in 1937. Orson Welles’s Mercury Theatre production of Julius Caesar is in rehearsal, and aspiring thespian Richard stumbles into a minor role. Onstage and off, he learns lessons about show folk, who aren’t always as glorious as the art they’re making. But … disenchantment is part of the magic.
**Meet the Filmmaker: Novelist Robert Kaplow**
Sunday, April 4 – EASTER SUNDAY No film
Sunday, April 11 – 11:30 AM THE MESSENGER Directed by Oren Moverman With Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone USA, 2009, 105 minutes, rated R for language and some sexual content
Sergeant Will Montgomery is home from Iraq with a medal and a new job in “bereavement notification.” Accompanied by an older officer, he shows up at the doors of the next of kin to deliver the worst imaginable news. A camraderie develops between these men, who handle their tasks and live their lives in contrasting ways. The psychological complexities of war and its consequences are honestly conveyed.
Academy Award nominations for Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay
Sunday, April -18 – 11:30 AM SÉRAPHINE Directed by Martin Provost With Yolande Moreau France, 2008, 125 minutes, French with English subtitles, unrated
Based on a true story, Séraphine is the story of a housekeeper living in 1930s France. She’s eccentric, mocked by the locals. She is also a self-taught primitive artist. Séraphine works for Wilhelm, a German art collector and critic, a gay man, also an outsider. They become partners, and though Séraphine’s career is interrupted by war and the Depression, her work is today exhibited in some of the world’s leading museums.
7 French Academy Awards (Césars) including Best Picture and Best Actress
Sunday, April 25 – 11:30 AM A SINGLE MAN Directed by Tom Ford With Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode USA, 2009, 101 minutes, rated R for nudity/sexual content and disturbing images
The year is 1962, and George has just lost his long-time lover, Jim. Over the course of one day he confronts his grief but also engages in political discourse (about the ongoing Cuban Missile Crisis) with his students, is flirted with several times, shares the company of an old friend, and finds himself able to appreciate the beauty and sensuality the world still offers. Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Sunday, May 2 – 11:30 AM BROKEN EMBRACES Directed by Robert Kaplow With Penélope Cruz Spain, 2009, 127 minutes, Spanish with English subtitles, rated R for sexual content
Harry Caine is a writer and former film director, rendered blind from a car accident. His past is a secret, but circumstances conspire to pry it open, and he’s compelled to tell the story of the man he used to be. Then, he was directing a film and embroiled in a perilous affair with his leading lady. A narrative full of twists and reversals is revealed, and it’s no mere potboiler.
Best Foreign Film, Broadcast Film Critics
##
Peter McDowell Peter@petermcdowell.com +1 773 484 8811 www.petermcdowell.com
>1. Creates a special deal for union members. Starting in 2018, a single union worker in a multiemployer health plan would be completely exempt from the “Cadillac tax” (a 40% tax on high-cost plans) unless the price of that plan exceeds $27,500. In contrast, a single, non-union worker living right next door would start paying that Cadillac tax as soon as the value of her health plan exceeds $10,200.
2. Makes a bad surtax worse. Twenty-two House Democrats opposed a surtax contained in an earlier version of the Democrats’ health care bill. That surtax would have started at a rate of 2% and would have applied to Americans earning over $280,000 for singles and $350,000 for couples. Under the current version of the bill, however, the Medicare surtaxes on both earned income (imposed at a rate of 0.9%) and investment income (imposed at a higher rate of 3.8%) feature far lower thresholds – $200,000 for singles and $250,000 for couples.
3. Increases taxes on real estate investments. The 3.8% Medicare surtax would hit average, middle-class investors in real estate. A middle-class taxpayer who happens to sell real estate for a significant gain in a particular year would be liable for this new tax, regardless of how low her income might be in other, more typical years. The National Association of Realtors wrote to Speaker Pelosi and Ways and Means Chairman Levin urging that Congress reject this unfair tax increase, especially given the flagging economy.
4. Vastly expands IRS powers. According to a new report, the Democrats’ health care bill vastly expands the responsibilities of the Internal Revenue Service and would strengthen the IRS’s heavy hand in dealing with ordinary taxpayers who play by the rules. If this bill becomes law, the IRS may have to hire up to 16,500 additional auditors, agents, and other employees just to enforce all the new taxes and penalties. The bill would empower the IRS to: (1) verify that Americans have “acceptable” health care coverage; (2) fine Americans up to $2,085 or 2 percent of income (whichever is greater) for the failure to purchase “minimum essential coverage”; (3) confiscate tax refunds; and (4) increase audits.
5. Imposes new marriage penalties. Because the Democrats’ subsidies for health insurance are solely based on the federal poverty level, if two people make $32,000 per year, they would pay between $6,000 and $10,000 more for health insurance than before they said “I do.” This is because as singles they were poor enough to receive health care subsidies, but as a married couple, these Americans are too rich for federal assistance. A discussion of how a prior version of the bill would have imposed these marriage penalties can be accessed here.
6. Breaks the President’s pledge on not taxing the middle class in at least a dozen ways. The Democrats’ health care bill contains at least a dozen direct and indirect tax increases that would break President Obama’s pledge not to raise taxes on those making less than $200,000 for singles and $250,000 for couples. These include: (1) a “Cadillac tax” on high-cost plans, (2) an individual mandate tax on Americans who do not purchase government-approved health insurance, (3) an increase in the 7.5% AGI floor for medical expense deductions to 10%, (4) limits on Flexible Spending Accounts in cafeteria plans, (5) increased penalties for nonqualified HSA distributions, (6) other restrictions on Health Savings Accounts, Health Reimbursement Accounts, and Flexible Spending Accounts, (7) a tax on tanning services, (8) an employer mandate tax, (9) a sales tax on medical devices, (10) a tax on health insurance premiums, (11) a tax on prescription drugs, and (12) a tax on insured and self-insured health plans.
7. Ensnares a growing number of people in the Cadillac tax. The Cadillac tax in the Democrats’ health care bill would not keep pace with medical inflation after it comes into effect in 2018, meaning a larger and larger tax hit over time. Beginning in 2020, this tax would be indexed by only the consumer price index. Given that health insurance premiums will likely increase faster than CPI, the Cadillac tax would hit more and more plans each year and take a bigger bite from those already covered.
8. Repeats the mistakes of the AMT. Instead of learning the lesson of the Alternative Minimum Tax, which hits more and more Americans every year because the exemption level is not indexed for inflation, the Democrats’ bill repeats this mistake by failing to index the exemption threshold for the Medicare surtaxes on both earned and unearned income.
9. Forces those with catastrophic costs to pay even more. Current law provides important tax relief to Americans who suffer catastrophic out-of-pocket medical expenses, permitting a deduction for costs above 7.5% of income. The Democrats’ bill would raise that threshold to 10% of income in 2012 (2016 for seniors and the disabled). This is a particularly hard hit on those with the highest medical costs who can least afford to pay more taxes. And, according to the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation, more than 95% of the revenue generated from this tax increase would come from taxpayers earning less than $200,000.
10. Punishes investment in our economy. Under the Democrats’ bill, the Medicare tax would, for the very first time, apply to capital gains, dividends, interest, rents, royalties, and other investment income of singles earning over $200,000 and couples earning over $250,000. Currently, capital gains and dividends are taxed at a top rate of 15%, but those rates are already scheduled to rise in 2011 to 20% and 39.6%, respectively. When the expansion of the Medicare tax is coupled with the already scheduled rate increase, capital gains rates on these types of investment income, long-term capital gains rates would rise by almost 60% next year – from 15% to 23.8% – and the top tax rate on dividends would nearly triple – from 15% to 43.4%.
11. Robs Peter and leaves Paul broke. The Senate-passed Tax Extenders bill (H.R. 4213, as amended) includes one-year extensions of important tax relief policies for both individuals and businesses that expired on December 31, 2009. These include the deduction for state and local sales taxes, the R&D tax credit, and numerous energy-related incentives. Just weeks ago, the Senate decided to “pay for” those provisions by making “black liquor” ineligible for the cellulosic biofuel producer credit and by codifying the economic substance doctrine into law. Yet Democrats have now chosen to steal those very same revenue offsets – totaling $28.1 billion – to help finance their trillion dollar health bill instead. This begs the question: To the extent Democratic Leaders decide to adhere to PAYGO on Tax Extenders, what new taxes will they raise to replace all that lost revenue?
>Medicare was created in 1966 at a cost of $3 billion per year and the House Ways and Means Committee estimated in 1966 that in 1990 the cost of Medicare would reach $12 billion per year. Instead, the actual cost of Medicare in 1990 was $107 billion (792% more than what was projected) and today Medicare costs $408 billion annually.
In 2003, the White House Office of Management and Budget estimated that the Iraq War would have a total cost of $50 to $60 billion. So far, we have already spent $713 billion on the Iraq War (over 1,000% more than what was projected).
The Congressional Budget Office is estimating that the healthcare bill will cost $940 billion over the next 10 years, but if history is any indication, the actual cost will likely be several trillion dollars.
This may be the final nail in the coffin of the U.S. economy and will just about guarantee that we will see hyperinflation by the year 2015.
The U.S. government last week reported a record monthly budget deficit for February 2010 of $220.9 billion. Total tax receipts for the month were only $107.5 billion compared to outlays of $328.4 billion. The total U.S. deficit for the first five months of fiscal year 2010 was $651.6 billion, with tax receipts of $800.5 billion and outlays of $1.45 trillion. The deficit was up 10.5% for the first five months of fiscal year 2010 over the same period in fiscal year 2009.
We are now at a point where if the U.S. government taxed Americans 100% of their income, the tax receipts generated would not be enough to balance the budget. Likewise, if the U.S. government cut 100% of its spending including defense, but kept paying Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, we would still have a budget deficit.
It maybe impossible for the U.S. to have a balanced budget ever again.
Warning: Undefined array key "sfsi_riaIcon_order" in /home/eagle1522/public_html/theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/plugins/ultimate-social-media-icons/libs/controllers/sfsi_frontpopUp.php on line 165
Warning: Undefined array key "sfsi_inhaIcon_order" in /home/eagle1522/public_html/theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/plugins/ultimate-social-media-icons/libs/controllers/sfsi_frontpopUp.php on line 166
Warning: Undefined array key "sfsi_mastodonIcon_order" in /home/eagle1522/public_html/theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/plugins/ultimate-social-media-icons/libs/controllers/sfsi_frontpopUp.php on line 177
