Beyond the fact that this bill could literally collapse the individual health insurance market in South Carolina, it is also a tribute to fiscal irresponsibility. By giving a tax deduction to South Carolinians who do not carry insurance, the state is essentially paying people to free ride. That’s money, by the way, that will not go to hiring teachers or putting cops on the streets or building schools because it is being diverted to this crusade against Obamacare.
The good news is that this misguided scheme is likely to be struck down in federal court. Under longstanding constitutional law, federal law invalidates state laws that “stand … as an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and objectives of Congress.” Since the sole purpose of this South Carolina bill is to undermine a federal health care law, it should be struck down by the courts.
Even if this scheme is eventually struck down, however, it could do a great deal of damage in the interim. If the bill becomes law, it will mistakenly lead many South Carolinians to believe that they can forgo insurance without consequence. As a result, the cycle of healthy people dropping insurance coverage until they are sick will begin and could continue for months or even years until a final court decision strikes the law down.
Excerpt: “We Have Not Forgotten” - President Obama on Protecting Our Children from Gun Violence (by whitehouse)
“Chicago’s City Council unanimously passed a wage theft law Thursday that labor activists hope will set a standard for other cities around the United States. Under the new law, companies convicted of wage theft—which includes unpaid overtime or hourly pay below the minimum wage—could have their business licenses revoked.”
(via New Chicago Wage Theft Law Sets Model for Nation - The ITT List)
Rachel Maddow: A weird night in Washington (by adalrich00)
As you might imagine, I find myself in a lot of discussions about U.S. fiscal policy, and the budget deficit in particular. And there’s one thing I can count on in these discussions: At some point someone will announce, in dire tones, that we have a ONE TRILLION DOLLAR deficit.
No, I don’t think the people making this pronouncement realize that they sound just like Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies.
Anyway, we do indeed have a ONE TRILLION DOLLAR deficit, or at least we did; in fiscal 2012, which ended in September, the deficit was actually $1.089 trillion. (It will be lower this year.) The question is what lesson we should take from that figure.
Where Did the Debt Come From? (by seeprogress)
.@SherrodBrown sets record straight about Senate passing the budget (by CAPcongress)
Draw the Line - Sign the Bill - SPREAD THE WORD (by ReproductiveRight100)
| — | —90 DAYS, 90 REASONS |
President Clinton Explains Mitt Romney’s $5 Trillion Tax Cut (by BarackObamadotcom)
So let’s be brutally honest here. The Romney-Ryan position on health care is that many millions of Americans must be denied health insurance, and millions more deprived of the security Medicare now provides, in order to save money. At the same time, of course, Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan are proposing trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy. So a literal description of their plan is that they want to expose many Americans to financial insecurity, and let some of them die, so that a handful of already wealthy people can have a higher after-tax income.
It’s not a pretty picture — and you can see why Mr. Romney chooses not to see it.
| — | Paul Krugman, Death by Ideology - NYTimes.com |
