Comments on: Latest healthcare idea: ‘Twinkie tax’

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:22:40 +0000

I vote for Gene!

By: mike R

mike R — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:07:31 +0000

Gene,
In my heart I agree with you. Going back less than a hundred years ago, we did not have a federal income tax. I fear the problem with the bloated government is the same as the health insurance industry. It has grown to what it is today and there is no will to really put the genie back in the bottle. The government is the most inefficient way to get money to the poor.

When law makers set the budget, they have to please constituents. They don’t make choices very well, so they vote for everything. Currently with the economic downturn, government is having to shrink to meet the tax revenues. Perhaps in the end, when the economy picks back up, the government will remaind lean and mean, but I doubt it.

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:03:11 +0000

Gene, Please run for office.

By: RWA

RWA — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:49:09 +0000

Hi Gene, please let me know if you intend on ever running for office so I know not to vote for you. Also, please let me know who you intend to vote for so that I know who not to vote for.

By: Gene

Gene — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:34:09 +0000

Adding to the already astounding tax burden of all of us simply has to end. There will come a point where enough politicians realize that there is not an endless supply of taxpayers willing to pay for everything in the politicians wildest dreams. If the govt must take some tax (they must for defense and border control only), then take the same % from everyone. Why do they continue to demonize the successful and forgive the failures? I guess it comes from the fact that few in Congress actually ran a business or worked much before their election to office. Depts that should go: energy, education, NPR, transportation, homeland security, HHS, HUD, czars of all kinds, endowment for the arts, etc… Please just leave the people alone to thrive and succeed without making it more difficult at every turn.

By: RWA

RWA — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:38:15 +0000

I again disagree. I don’t want to pay the taxes, yet I think everyone should pay into health insurance and health care. It’s the only way. My current insurance, which is a good plan, goes not just to my coverage but also the coverage of others as well that went to the hospital without insurance and thus drove the hospital to negotiate higher reimbursements. It also goes to all the highly paid execs and what not that run the insurance companies. It’s just too much of an unregulated mess.

By: mike R

mike R — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:27:51 +0000

Oh, Jon,

I do whole heartedly agree about not taxing for healthcare. It should not happen, doesn’t work to pay the costs, and is wrong on so many levels. It keeps the focus and debate on smokers and fatties, keeps everyone pointing fingers and blaming. It DOES serve the purpose of distracting everyone from the insurance industry and their part in the current problem.

By: mike R

mike R — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:21:31 +0000

Sorry Jon, I didn’t mean for the term “naïve” to be derogatory. I was trying to understand some of your callous statements. It seemed to me either you were naïve, independently wealthy, or an employee of the healthcare insurance industry. From your last post, I get the impression that you have done well in the stock market and have not experienced the losses that most Americans have. Good for you. Of course, you know that the stock market is just as good as a casino or lottery tickets for long term financial security.

As far as healthcare reform, I do believe that the system is screwed up. It has been since the 60’s but it has never been bad enough for the majority of Americans to be concerned. Now as so many middle income baby boomers are about to retire and are facing a real crisis for healthcare and the downturn of the economy and the losses in retirement income and skyrocketing unemployment, it has come to the forefront again. I agree that the healthcare system needs reform. There is too much duplication and inefficiency. Every doctor should not have to be a “specialist” and have their own MRI to get paid enough to pay off college loans. The regulatory and insurance industry has set up the current system. The real reforms need to be made with the healthcare insurance system where the real inefficiencies exist. The cost they charge to administer the healthiest Americans is outrageous. Each policy is capped so that when that is reached, they are dumped so the government picks them up. In order to have an effective system, the savings (which the insurance companies call profits) when a person is young and healthy should be applied to the costs down the road when they will need care.

My fear about this healthcare reform process is that it will become a compromise which will result in the majority to become complacent again. This cost of healthcare will bankrupt everyone. Currently it is doing it the old fashioned way, one family at a time.

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:01:13 +0000

Mike, Ever hear of Savings accounts, Money Markets, 401K and IRA’s? Then you can pay for the health insurance you need.

As for health care reform, if government wants to regulate health care providers and insurance companies, fine, those details could be debated. As for taxing people, not a chance, should never happen. The tabbaco and alcahol tax doesn’t go to provide health care, neither will a fat tax.

No need to be insutling either.

By: Tyrone

Tyrone — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:50:04 +0000

while watching the hand picked meeting I was curious as to what is a boggieman, where do they live, when do they come out, at night or after dark, how do you known when you see one, does it take a boggieman to call another a boggieman