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| Edwards: "We'll Have To Raise Taxes" ($90-$120 Billion A Year) |
| 2007-02-04 |
| Democratic U.S. presidential candidate John Edwards on Sunday said that he would raise taxes, chiefly on the wealthy, to pay for expanded healthcare coverage under a plan costing $90 billion to $120 billion a year to be unveiled on Monday. "We'll have to raise taxes. The only way you can pay for a healthcare plan that cost anywhere from $90 to $120 billion is there has to be a revenue source," Edwards said on NBC's Meet the Press news program. The 2004 vice presidential nominee and former North Carolina senator said his plan would "get rid of George Bush's tax cuts for people who make over $200,000 a year." He said the plan would also reduce healthcare costs. "Finally we need to do a much better job of collecting the taxes that are already owed," he said, specifically targeting what he said are large amounts of unpaid capital gains taxes. "We should have brokerage houses report the capital gains that people are incurring because we're losing billions and billions of dollars in tax revenue," Edwards said. Offering a preview of his plan, Edwards said it aims to bring healthcare coverage to 47 million uninsured Americans, lower costs for the middle class and foster competition. It would expand Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance plan for the needy, and offer subsidies for the uninsured. He said, "We ask employers to play a bigger role, which means they either have to have coverage or they have to buy into what we're calling health markets." Without providing details, Edwards said his plan would create "health markets" nationwide. One choice available in the markets would be "the government plan, so people who like the idea of a single-payer health insurance plan, that is actually one of the alternatives," he said. Edwards declared his candidacy in December calling for fewer U.S. troops in Iraq, a restoration of U.S. world leadership and an end to poverty. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #9 All democrats should be taxed 85% of their income and three organs of our choice. After all, organ donation is for the /common good/. It's not like they need all their organs anyway. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2007-02-04 23:57 |
| #8 |
| Posted by: KBK 2007-02-04 22:01 |
| #7 How about a 50% tax on all contingency fees? |
| Posted by: Jackal 2007-02-04 21:52 |
| #6 &^^**^$&$&^%#(*&@)($*_)$*@*^$&*@^$&*( BEARS SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Surtax on houses over 3000 s.f. Figure out what it costs in electricity to run said house, everything over is surtaxed. He can afford it - they all can. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2007-02-04 21:02 |
| #5 Oh, I know that Rob ;) Think Edwards makes over $200k/year? :> |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2007-02-04 20:19 |
| #4 Tony, it ain't about bringing money into the treasury. It's about punishing the successful. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-02-04 20:11 |
| #3 Would any American friends care to print this out and pass it onto Mr Edwards? CBO's Capital Gains Error Now Stands At $133 Billion, 68 Percent To summarize, the CBO said in 2003 that President Bush's capital gains tax cut would 'cost' the treasury $5.4B between 2003-2006. Ready for this? In fact receipts were up $133B over the same period. The Laffer curve works. Tax cuts work. |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2007-02-04 19:50 |
| #2 why don't we tax the shit out of NC homes over 20,000 sq ft? No comment, Mr. "Two Americas"? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-02-04 19:45 |
| #1 ...The only problem here is that if Edwards got in, the definition of 'wealthy' would be anyone making more than $10K/year.... Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2007-02-04 19:39 |