Posted on 06/26/2009 5:00:24 AM PDT by Kaslin
Thousands of union members rallied for Obamacare on Capitol Hill today in a massive display of union outreach that threatened to deliver more votes for a controversial “public plan” option.
The rally came on the heels of Obama raising the possibility that unions would be exempt from taxing health care benefits. Obama said he was open to imposing new taxes on Americans who are not union members, which is a principle he adamantly opposed during his presidential campaign.
The hypocrisy was easily explained by one Republican strategist who was closely following health care developments on the Hill.
"Is it any surprise that unions are one of he greatest contributors to the Democratic party, and that they're now exempt from one of the most controversial taxes he's considering?" he asked. "It's not illegal, but gosh, does it look bad."
Unions were pushing for new health care legislation this year that would, in theory, cover nearly 50 million uninsured Americans. There was a star-studded line up at the rally, including actress Edie Falco, Sens. Sherrod Brown, Chuck Schumer and Bob Menendez, and Howard Dean. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), ACORN, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and Health Care For America NOW! were the primary sponsors.
Falco talked about the perils of health insurance in her industry.
"I'm here because I've traveled through the health care system and there are some holes," said Falco, who played a nurse on popular sitcom The Sopranos. Her experience with breast cancer during her acting career lead her to "care about the people in this country" when it came to health issues.
AFSCME Legislative Director Chuck Loveless said the government plan option was essential to bringing down the overall cost of health insurance, just as the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its official estimate of the cost of health insurance at $1 trillion over 10 years.
“It’s extremely important that insurance companies have to compete with a government plan option. And if the government plan option is not in he mix, we’re not gonna get the kind of reform that we want to see," said Loveless.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) also expressed optimism at the possibility of the plan bringing down costs, though he did not specify how the $1 trillion would be paid for.
Perhaps the new option of taxing non-union health benefits is one way the money might be found.
Equal protection under the law?
it any surprise that unions are one of he greatest contributors to the Democratic party, and that they’re now exempt from one of the most controversial taxes he’s considering?” he asked. “It’s not illegal, but gosh, does it look bad.”
The double-standard must die.
Not that I really give a rat's patootie, but if the idiot that wrote this, can't even get her part right, is anything else correct here?
Journalists suck for the most part.
Yeah - equal protection! I’m not union and I FEEL discriminated against...
Molesting the non-union individual is Ok. under Amendment V? The Federal government violating due process is now legal?
This is why Repubs are in the minority. No cojones and absolutely no concept of the fundamentals of our Constitution/”Rights of Men”/limited government/Madison/Jefferson/Franklin.
“And if the government plan option is not in he mix, we’re not gonna get the kind of reform that we want to see,” said Loveless.
Hello, I’m from the government and I’m here to help you...
This piece of legislative tripe is as onerous as Porkulus, bank bailouts, auto industry bailouts and all the rest of the 0bama marxist pogroms being foisted off on the American people.
There is absolutely NO Constitutional authority for this.
The demographic political warfare is now becoming overtly financial. Union member? You get an additional 7,000 tax exemption from those who don’t pay union dues to fund the left.
Sorry to say this, but I give Obama and the RATS all the credit in the world.
The blame shouldn’t go to them. We ALL know them for what they are; criminals using Communism to wrest control from the citizens of this country.
THE STATERUN MEDIA MUST TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS.
In their failure to do their jobs, they became complicit with the criminal element. The Obama administration, like any administration has its agenda. Agree or disagree with it, but that is the fact. The media allowed them to lie, they allowed them to steal and they allowed them to nationalize industries and use our tax dollars to pay off their cronies.
Over the last two decades the only unions that have been growing are Gubbermint unions. Thank about it!
So if they are exempt from health benefits taxes this just cements the sweetheart contracts they get from their Gubbermint stooges. We are creating a huge parasitic sector very similar to the old Communist party in USSR
FEEDING AT THE PUBLIC TROUGH!
These are all Gubbermint unions. Real unions in the private sector have been on the decline for years
The Democrats (our new Communist party) are working hand in glove with Gubbermint workers who will always vote for them. Vote to suck the blood out of the private sector and give it to public sector workers and to expand the number of Gubbermint workers
Worked so well with Medicare and Medicaid.
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