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A Challenge to Young Obama Supporters
National Review ^ | 6/21/2013 | Jonah Goldberg

Posted on 06/21/2013 3:39:58 AM PDT by markomalley

Okay, young’ns, here’s your chance.

In two consecutive elections, you’ve carried Barack Obama to victory. When he said, “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for,” he basically meant you. You voted for Obama by a margin of 66 percent to 32 percent in 2008, and, despite a horrendous economy for people your age, by nearly that much again in 2012.  

The president announced his candidacy in 2007 by insisting, “This campaign can’t only be about me. It must be about us — it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. . . . This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.”

And on the night of his reelection in 2012, he proclaimed, “The role of citizens in our democracy does not end with your vote. America’s never been about what can be done for us. It’s about what can be done by us, together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. That’s the principle we were founded on.”

Between those two elections, the president pandered to you like no president in American history. As I wrote last fall, he visited college campuses more often than a Red Bull delivery truck. He’s carried water for you on college loans like an aqueduct. He made sure you can stay on your parents’ health-care plans until you’re 26, which is a really nice consolation prize when you can’t find a job.

And not to put too fine a point on it, but you kids ate that stuff up. It reminded me of H. L. Mencken’s line about Harry Truman: “If there had been any formidable body of cannibals in the country he would have promised to provide them with free missionaries, fattened at the taxpayers’ expense.”

Whenever curmudgeons like yours truly suggested that young people were getting caught up in a fad or that Obama was simply buying votes at the expense of taxpayers, you’d have a fit. You’d insist that millennials are not only informed, but eager to make sacrifices for the greater good.

Well, here’s your chance to prove it: Fork over whatever it costs to buy the best health insurance you can under Obamacare. Just in case you forgot, under Obamacare healthy young people such as yourself not only need to buy health insurance in order for the whole thing to work, but have to be overcharged for it. If you don’t pay more — probably a lot more — than what you could get today on the market in most states, Obamacare will come apart like wet toilet paper.

Estimates vary and depend on how much you make and where you live, but if you’re buying health care yourself, your out-of-pocket costs will probably be at least a couple hundred bucks a month, give or take. The Kaiser Family Foundation’s “subsidy calculator” estimates that a 26-year-old nonsmoker making $30,000 a year will pay $2,512 a year for the “silver plan.” Although, if you fill out all of the paperwork, the feds could send you a check for about $500. If you smoke — you don’t smoke, do you? — the premium rises to over $4,000. (The subsidy stays the same.) Also, the more you make, the more your insurance will cost because the subsidies will get smaller.

Of course, the above is a pretty rosy scenario. The more young people who don’t sign up, the higher the premiums will have to be to cover the costs of those who do. Many experts think the sky’s the limit to how high prices will go.

And as prices go up, the whole thing might go down. Actuaries call this the “death spiral.” The old and sick race to sign up, but the young and healthy opt to stay out. That causes prices to go up, and more people to drop out. And since the fine for not signing up is so much lower than premiums, lots of people will just wait until they’re sick before buying insurance.

Now, that might be the smart play — for cynics.

But you’re not cynical. You didn’t vote for Obama and cheer the passage of Obamacare because it was the cool thing to do. You did your homework. You want to share the sacrifice. You want to secure the president’s legacy.

And now’s your chance to prove it.


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abortion; deathpanels; obamacare; zerocare

1 posted on 06/21/2013 3:39:58 AM PDT by markomalley
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To: markomalley

A challenge...........find the brain your mother and father gave you, unless of coarse thier still looking for thiers, in that case get into politics


2 posted on 06/21/2013 3:43:33 AM PDT by ronnie raygun (Yesterdays conspiracies are todays truths)
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To: markomalley

Most of us as we grow older we grow smarter, through our experiences . Perhaps not smarter, but wiser.

Obama has taken advantage of the youth of America, lied to them gained their confidence. In a few years they will see what they have done, However there are many in this country who are riding the gravy train, and will ride it right over the cliff.


3 posted on 06/21/2013 3:45:44 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: markomalley

I can only laugh at these Obamorons that graduated with a Bachelors of Hopenchange as they bring me my food.


4 posted on 06/21/2013 3:51:36 AM PDT by wny
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To: Venturer

The gravy train is running out of steam. Just look how the markets are reacting as the fed pulls back. The federal government candy machine is also running out of goodies too.
These foolish people who supported Obama will feel the effects of a collapsing nanny state very soon as will we all.
It’s unfair that people who have worked all their lives, followed the law, and tried to live good, moral lives will be affected just as much as your typical Obama freeloader. But, life is not fair and the strong and lucky will survive.


5 posted on 06/21/2013 3:56:28 AM PDT by 3Fingas (Sons and Daughters of Freedom, Committee of Correspondence)
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To: ronnie raygun

“..find the brain your mother and father gave you,”
___________________________________________

That is if mother and father had a brain to begin with.
I like Rush’s description for these mindless kids.
“Young Skulls Full of Mush”.


6 posted on 06/21/2013 3:58:10 AM PDT by AlexW
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To: wny
In a very strange way ZERO might actually be good for the country.
WHAT? WTF?
OK it is a stretch, but think about it. In the long run conservatives will be stronger.
It is only a matter of time before the pump runs dry or is not pumping as much, and the weak economy comes to a halt. Not a complete halt but a major problem.
The true unemployment numbers will be 20-25% or even higher.
Most people will realize the Liberal way is not the way to go.
Is this wishful thinking on my part? Probably, but I hate to see what is coming. I really do. It ain't gona be pretty. The people getting all the free stuff will riot when it gets stopped.
7 posted on 06/21/2013 4:07:00 AM PDT by DeaconRed (I don't want to tell my grandchild How good America WAS. When we were FREE I will fight to stop.)
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To: markomalley

A real shame that the demographic needing to read this will never see it.


8 posted on 06/21/2013 4:09:21 AM PDT by Artie (We are surrounded by MORONS)
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To: Venturer

Obastard is a sock puppet, he had a LOT of help.


9 posted on 06/21/2013 4:12:42 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: ronnie raygun
"A challenge...........find the brain your mother and father gave you, unless of coarse thier still looking for thiers, in that case get into politics"

Just a bit of advice, ron...when trying to insult someone, make sure you spell simple words correctly. If you do not, you end up looking like the fool, not your intended target.

10 posted on 06/21/2013 4:13:44 AM PDT by EnigmaticAnomaly (Dim Logic: "Let me vote Democrat. Hey, I got screwed! Let me vote Democrat. Hey, I got screwed!")
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To: AlexW

‘Mush’ isn’t the word I would use...


11 posted on 06/21/2013 4:19:39 AM PDT by who knows what evil? (G-d saved more animals than people on the ark...www.siameserescue.org.)
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To: central_va

Obama was elected because it was believed he spoke well for a black man.

The we find out that if it isn’t written down for him he cannot even do that well.


12 posted on 06/21/2013 4:22:21 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: EnigmaticAnomaly

There are many Freepers who should have paid attention in high school English classes. So many just don’t know how to spell.


13 posted on 06/21/2013 4:30:54 AM PDT by OldPossum
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks markomalley.
Whenever curmudgeons like yours truly suggested that young people were getting caught up in a fad or that Obama was simply buying votes at the expense of taxpayers, you'd have a fit. You'd insist that millennials are not only informed, but eager to make sacrifices for the greater good.

Well, here’s your chance to prove it: Fork over whatever it costs to buy the best health insurance you can under Obamacare. Just in case you forgot, under Obamacare healthy young people such as yourself not only need to buy health insurance in order for the whole thing to work, but have to be overcharged for it. If you don’t pay more -- probably a lot more -- than what you could get today on the market in most states, Obamacare will come apart like wet toilet paper.

Estimates vary and depend on how much you make and where you live, but if you’re buying health care yourself, your out-of-pocket costs will probably be at least a couple hundred bucks a month, give or take.

14 posted on 06/21/2013 4:42:07 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (McCain or Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
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To: DeaconRed

While I might hope you were right, I’m not sure I’m that optimistic. Just look at Greece. There’s further along the curve of collapse and their lefties still garner support. This is even after blatantly destroying their economy.

As will be the case here, there will always be someone else to blame but the actual culprits (”It was Bush’s fault”).


15 posted on 06/21/2013 4:46:41 AM PDT by drbuzzard (All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others.)
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To: markomalley

Good snarky article.


16 posted on 06/21/2013 5:13:21 AM PDT by Excellence (9/11 was an act of faith.)
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To: markomalley

I wonder how things would look if the voting age were 30?


17 posted on 06/21/2013 5:13:26 AM PDT by TheGunny
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To: DeaconRed

The dems will simply start taxing your wealth not just your income.

It will come in various ways one would probably be a federal property tax.

As more and more people rent or live in public housing the idea will become more and more acceptable.

Probably start off with just the “RICH”.

Peoples homes will be exempt but anyone owning land over X number of acres will have to pay a tax on the number of acres over X that you own.

After all anyone owning more than X number of acres of land must be RICH.


18 posted on 06/21/2013 5:55:42 AM PDT by IMR 4350
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To: markomalley

Dumber than a box of rocks comes to mind when thinking of an Obama voter


19 posted on 06/21/2013 9:10:11 AM PDT by eartick (Been to the line in the sand and liked it)
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