Catch up time, Free at Last! Job Lock, Job Losses

May 29th Updates Available....click here

Up date with my take on where we go forward into this mid-term election year and the Affordable Care Act effects on the election.  Nothing counts if the Democrats react to this "off-year" election in their typical fashion, low interest and resulting low voter participation and predictable increase in Republicans elected to Congress.

With the gerrymandering of congressional districts and determined voter suppression efforts only a miracle could save the Democrats this election year.  Yet, the good news, President Obama's earth shaking health care program remains in tact and with another two years to go my take is it will be declared a smashing success by 2016.

Figures coming in for sign ups over 8 million at the closing of the first stage of enrollments to the Affordable Care Act.  President Obama points out "meeting expectations", hitting our estimates and proving the American people without health insurance answered the call for mandated health care.

Yet Republicans and their allies, most extremely wealthy money bags willing to spend huge amounts of money to run down the President and his accomplishments to the advantage of his political foes, broadcast not enough, it's not working and looking at the preliminary figures there is a lot to dispute.

The full story and the facts on how much of a success the new health care law actually becomes is yet to be determined.  With many of the states in control of Republican Governors and Legislatures portions of positive benefits never were enacted in a number of states.

Polls indicate wide spread disagreement exists with Obamacare, while the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has more acceptance.  The figures can be disputed, 31% opposed to the program come from people on Medicare, they got theirs and don't make any waves that might effect their health care. Misinformation on money transfers from Medicare savings are often cited and are designed to scare the elderly on Medicare about their own health care programs.

Another group listed as opposed to the Affordable Care Act are those people actually in favor of national health care but with a "single-payer" such as in Canada, the UK and most of the industrial world.  Some 28% say the Act doesn't go far enough!

Eight million people have made their decision, signed up for Obamacare and one way or another are counted in the results.  BUT, that is not the final result of the Law.  Part of the Affordable Care Act included provision for young people up to the age of 26 able to remain or be put on their parents health care plans.

Another part of the Law provided for full federal funding of expansion of Medicaid programs within the states.  Also expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) has added another 3 million to the rolls of newly health insured in the United States.  This number would have been even larger had more GOP controlled state governments chosen to participate.

Two more years of enrollments, additional states accepting federal funding opportunities for expanding health care coverage in their states and more shake out of the enrollment process should definitely change the whole composition of acceptance for Obamacare.  Seniors and already insured folks noticing the benefits will slowly become boosters of the Affordable Care Act under any name and some of the same Democrat politicans and Republicans shooting arrows at President Obama will be praising him within two years of his leaving office.

(Catch up time, Free at Last!  Job Lock, Job Losses     printed in 2013)
Back on January 3 I wrote in this blog about the secret benefit of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) for early retirement.  { http://solidprogressiveview.blogspot.com/2013/12/secret-benefit-of-affordable-care-act.html }

This week, February 3 the Congressional Budget Office {CBO} put out a finding about possible 2.5 million "job losses" over the next decade as a result of the new health insurance availability law.  Shock! Shock!  Some people may take their time finding new jobs if they get laid off or their bosses down size their production lines and unemployment insurance is available while they "look" for work.

People may not be in such a hurry to find a new job with health insurance if they have the Affordable Care Act with possible government help with the premiums.  Older experienced workers won't have to crawl over to Walmart or a few other low wage employers when the years of experience and knowledge is not in demand in their local area anymore.  Taking the need for a health insurance program out of the employment picture can make the difference between desperation and pride.

People on unemployment insurance many times have to swallow a lot of pride in seeking new employment, after many years on a job stepping down to what is immediately available is hard to do.  Just take out a minute and think, would you take a demotion for whatever reason if that was your only choice?  Losing a job is even worse than taking a demotion.

This should not be news to anyone understanding the aspect of portability of health insurance.  Workers will no longer be locked into jobs simply because they will lose their health insurance if they move.  Companies will lose their hold on employees whether through retirement or just plain wishing to move on to explore new opportunities.  That was exactly the point I was attempting to make when I wrote how the ACA was giving workers new pastures to investigate or possible early retirement even  before a person becomes eligible for Medicare at age 65.

What the Congressional Budget Office is telling us is that over the next few years a couple million people many hold out jumping in to the work force while they move out of one job and seek another.  Those members of Congress {and you Libertarians) screaming about free enterprise and a free society should congratulate President Obama and his Democrats in Congress for another building block of American Freedom.

Now that the CBO confirms what we expected, OBAMACARE is even better!  Workers have the option to move on when they feel better opportunities for them exist in the employment marketplace.  The boss doesn't have a hold on a worker just because of health insurance.  Now workers are in a much better position to negotiate other aspects of their employment and may even with some less resentment become an even more productive and useful team member for their employers.

WOW, ACA puts everyone in a WIN-WIN situation!

OK. Mr. Big Mouth Liberal, What would you do?

Coming here many years ago from Oregon, a state with NO sales tax and a law against pumping your own gas it is tough to adjust. Visited Oregon a few years back and went to fill the car with gas. You know, you drive up to the pump get out and lift the noozle, punch in the grade and fill. Oh, my gosh! The end of the world, the station attendance comings rushing out. "you can't do that!", NO Self-service! Look at a new shirt, $32, wait add 9% sales tax $2.88 total cost $34.88 here in many places in Arizona. In no sales tax Oregon, unless there is a hidden discount for being senior the marked price is what you will pay at the cash register. So a friend says, alright Mr. Liberal-Progressive big mouth where would you get the money to run government, schools and such? Absolutely, don't wail about the regressive sales tax unless you can come up with something different. I always like to point out, catching the winter visitors with a few months sales tax that the rest of us pay all year is a stupid reason to punish us. When people, older, retired probably more affluent than most of us year round residents come to Arizona where do they spend the most of their dollars? Food and drugs are exempt from sales taxes, they aren't making big ticket purchases cars, furniture, household goods, clothes or gifts and presents. No, restaurants, entertainment, golf fees, keeping the autos running and what else? You know like the things around home that wear out and have to be replaced every few months or years. Even if our winter visitors, you know "snowbirds" have second homes here how often to they replace things? Services on the A/C, plumbing, minor repairs all exempt from taxation except for parts and materials. No sales tax revenue there. Here is another point driven home to me just a couple years ago. Come August and we got to get the kids back to school. Amazing they have grown, they have been plenty rough on their clothes out of school this year. Alright, shoes, and few new clothes plus the sale taxes add up for one child, but times that by three! No wonder some states offer "sales tax vacation" right before schools start. They have come to realize how much it hurts the pocket book for families. Folks that's the way it is year round for most of us. Low income and fixed income families have choices to make and it's not just which school to enroll the kids. Well, we pretty much outlined the problem. What about walking toward some solutions? Wait one more thing, throw in something about the increased costs of roads and declining gas tax revenues. We all have to get from point A to point B and low cost public transportation isn't perfected all over yet. Right nothing progressive about the sales tax on gasoline. Fees for government services are just another sales tax with a different name, auto registrations, cigarette taxes, liquor tax, gas taxes, airport fees, car licenses, drivers license, etc. All just a different dinner jacket, out to eat your finances up. Regressive Tax A tax with a rate that decreases as the taxpayer's income increases. The result of a regressive tax is that the lower-income taxpayer pays a larger percentage of his or her income in taxes than does the higher-income taxpayer. The opposite of the regressive tax is the progressive tax. With progressive taxes, such as the federal Income Tax, the effective tax rates increase as the taxpayer's income increases. Nothing Flat about the Flat Tax except it gives a nice regressive tax break to wealthy incomes. Can we agree, Government Services costs should be based on not just on the use of services, "use taxes/fees" but shared equally based on a progressive ability to pay concept such as income taxes? What about roads, police, fire, and other services related to property? Education! Such an important role in the provision of government services it is locked into the Arizona (and most other states) Constitution. Foremost education provides for value, without education incomes dimminish, employable population decreases, jobs bypass, crime rate soar and all other government costs increase. Providing for educations across the state equally should be our goal. "No child left behind" a lofty idea but hard and expensive to guarantee. Early childhood education, proven in its value, up to community college associate degree programs setting up input into the job market a more skilled work force. How to fund education, what levels of taxation and which taxes? On the state level revenues from income and sales taxes are broad based shared by everyone. A sound system of per pupil served provides a beginning base of revenue for schools. State funds for education has not been the sole source, local property taxes have also played a major role in funding education.