After reading HB 3200, I decided it would be futile to go over all the problems and besides, as noted in last months blog, it's not the final version. Sen. Max Baucus (D. Montana) has already introduced a senate version. Baucus has listened and there are major differences, but there are not enough to satisfy key members of the senate who don't appear to be supporting even Baucus's bill.

While Baucus says it doesn't contain a public option or free insurance for illegal immigrants, it does contain co-ops, doesn't require ID's to be asked for (thus making it impossible to eliminate usage by illegal immigrants) and does not address things like rationing. Baucus's bill calls for reductions in Medicare payments (huh! See previous blog).

No matter what you think of what doctors and hospitals charge, if you reduce their income they will limit your care either by retiring or in the case of hospitals, closing. No one wants to work for nothing.

Also please note that we haven't seen the final version of the healthcare bill yet. The House will have it's version and the Senate will have a different one. Both versions will go to a conference committee consisting of House and Senate members which will "iron out differences" and a final version of the bill will emerge. What the final version of the bill will look like will depend on a number of factors, including how strong the individual conference committee members are, how strong the taxpayers are either for or against the final version, (i.e. tea parties). So if you don't like the House or Senate versions or you don't like the conference committee version, speak out. If you don't speak out you will get stuck with something you don't like and it won't be anyone's fault but yours. You get what you don't speak out about. If you are for it say so; if you are against it, say so. In this case silence isn't golden. Silence can be deadly or at the least costly.

As for cap and trade, if gas and heating or a/c bills go up, will you blame the oil and utility companies? Maybe you should blame the government. You should also blame yourself a little. No business absorbs a tax without passing at least part of it to the consumers. If the cost of doing business goes up, don't the prices of the goods or services go up too? If prices go up then don't you want a raise to absorb the increase? Why should the business that employees you be any different? And, cap and trade is a tax on carbon emissions. Pay attention to when prices go up. Is it because the merchant or supplier just raised them or because a tax was added? Cap and trade simply means that each company is allowed to emit a certain amount of carbon, and if they exceed their allotment they have to buy carbon credits from a company that sells them. (Someone is making lots of money on this and it won't be the oil companies, etc. Al Gore has made a lot of money selling carbon credits.)

A tax can be direct (Todd Stroger's Cook County sales tax is an example), or indirect (cap and trade), but in the end, like healthcare rationing, the consumer pays.

The taxpayer always gets it in the end.

Is the water Hot Enough for you Yet?