Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Medicare, ObamaCare, and the Supreme Court

Recently, the Supreme Court decided that Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is a type of tax and therefore legal. I understand that taxes are legal, but I'm having trouble understanding the rationale that ObamaCare is a tax?

Mind you, I'm also having trouble understanding Interstate Tax as Sales Tax. If you purchased goods from Mail Order, then you need to pay sales tax on it, even if the seller is on another state. That part I can understand. What I cannot understand is how the money goes to the buyer's state, instead of the seller's state. Doesn't that make it a buy tax? Buy tax is also known as tariff, quota, import tax, duty tax. That kind of tax is designed to compete with unfair foreign market forces and/or to compensate for cost of doing business with such market. I can understand that. What I cannot understand is how an "import" tax suddenly becomes a "sales" tax? How does that work?

So, ObamaCare is a tax? Let's see. Social Security is a tax, and I'll get it back when I'm 65. Medicare is a tax and I'll get it back when I'm 65. Speeding tickets is a fine, and I'll never get it back no matter how well I drive afterwards. Pollution fine is a fine because I never get anything back no matter how clean afterwards I become. Therefore, a "Tax" is not a "Fine".

From what I gather, ObamaCare is a fine. If you do not have health insurance, then you need to pay a fine, collected at tax payment. But that fine will not get me health care. It's money down the drain! What is needed, IMO, is that if I don't have health care, then the government will forcibly enforce me in some kind of Government Health Care plan, and charge me appropriate premium for it. I am all for extending Medicare to everybody! How about Medicare plan C: Affordable Care for All?

But that's not ObamaCare, and therefore I'm confused how this is a tax. I believe even Obama himself does not consider ObamaCare a tax. So, how is a fine become a tax? I don't understand!

I certainly hope that there isn't some shady dealing involved here. "Is that a threat?" "It's an 'advice'"

There is something that I repeat quite a lot: "There is no Net."

That is something that greedy Hollywood studios do when they want to foist the money off the starving actors. I believe it results in Unions heavily regulating the industry. The scam works like this:

You pay actors pittance and promise to pay a percentage of the sales. The actors agreed, with the condition that it is a percentage of Revenue, which is easily verified, instead of Profit, which the actors have no control of. And the agreement is signed that the actors will get a percentage of "Net Revenue".

What is Net Revenue? Well, it's the money left over after the whole Gross Revenue minus the Distributors take. Except that the studio aligns themselves with the Distributors. The practical result is that Net Revenue = Profit, or very close to it. Therefore, "There is No Net!"

That, of course, is unethical. Legality notwithstanding, that is not something you do to people if you want to be popular!

So, the question is, is ObamaCare a tax? or a fine? And how can I enroll in cheap Medical insurance that is Medicare even though I'm not yet 65?

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