They Are Not The Only Ones

Dems unhappy with proposed tax in health care bill.

The glory of America is the fairly large amount of transparency in our taxation. Our sales tax is listed on our bills separately rather than folded into the price for nearly all our purchases. In Britain, it's folded in and most British folk have no idea that their VAT (sales tax) is 17%.

We prepare our own taxes. In Europe the government just takes it - not a lot of countries offer tax refunds. No charitable deductions. Not many, if any, deductions at all.

And so it goes on.

Why am I blathering on? Because we prepare our own taxes, Americans expect and look for the government's price of things. The tax issues with Obamacare (well, with any of Obama's policies) have been and will be the kiss-of-death for most of them.

The democrats in the Senate know this. And while they are not in as much peril as the folks in the House (longer term limits), the Senate democrats know they a high-tax healthcare bill will not pass.

Now if they had just listened to the conservatives who've been suggesting low-pain healthcare reform ideas like Tort Reform, interstate purchasing ability, and reform of the already existing government-run programs like Tricare and Medicaid, all this hubbub wouldn't exist.

In fact, the democrats missed a real opportunity here. They have a "captive" audience in Tricare and VA healthcare. By reforming those two quickly, democrats could have "proven" their solutions work (a big if but possible) in time for re-election. Over-reach by over-hauling the entire system is their downfall because let's face it, the democrats are in freefall right now.

As Victor Davis Hanson said (I'm paraphrasing) - this was the most perfect liberal landscape available. New president with 70% approval, control of both houses of Congress, loads of democratic state representatives and governors. Couldn't have been better. But in their greed and desire to rush, they ruined it. With their arrogance, elitism and especially their accusations of racism, it's as if they had a focus grouped the best way to destroy their own best setting.

All of which is fine by me. The democrats and liberals have not produced policies I could support anyways so let them implode by their own hands. America is strong. We'll recover.