I know that previous letters I've written have been sarcastic, thinly-veiled thought, but now it the time to speak directly and frankly. I'm hoping that as you read this letter it finds you well.
Mr. Obama, Barack if you will, it's time to pull the curtain off of Mr. McCain's "health care plan." We all know that you want health care to be a cornerstone of your platform, so please, at the debates and anywhere else you can, point out the following.
- The proposed $5000 tax credit means that it will apply as a deduction off of the taxes owed. The catch here, of course, is that 1/3 of all Americans don't owe any tax. that means that it doesn't apply to them AT ALL. Now there's probably about another 1/4 of the population that pays little enough taxes that there total tax owed is under $5000 - and for them this would reduce that number to 0 but not allow them to get the full effect.. So, when you do the math, about 50% of the population (and, of course, the lower income 50%) will not get the benefit of this tax credit. Mind you, they will now also pay income tax for the health care they get from their employer, if they do get it there, so their tax actually went up.
- This is not a new idea. In the 2008 State of the Union address, President Bush proposed this same idea. So, not only will it punish a large part of the population, it is a prime example of a specific policy of Bush that will be carried forward by McCain.
Please. You need to hit this one hard. People need to know what "straight talk" really means.
Sincerely,
Working to change hearts and minds one at a time.
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