Why doesn't America have universal health care? (Reagan, amendment, constitution)

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by Open-D

And just who is that "single-Payer" you refer to?. Seems to me that it is always "somebody else". Why don't you left-wing worms just man up and start acting, and thinking, like Americans, instead of a bunch of helpless socialist slaves?

The single payer is the federal government. Funded by tax dollars

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

The burden of proof is on you.

What the reward or benefit of proof? If proving (providing the link) comes with no benefits....what is the point? Are you wiling to go on record to say you will accept the findings of the Harvard study? Is anyone from the RIGHT willing to accept the studies findings if presented?

[Open-D]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

The single payer is the federal government. Funded by tax dollars

So it is everyone else, and for the nearly half of Americans who work, earn substantial amounts of $$$, but due to idiotic tax laws, pay $0 (or less in Fed. Inc. Tax), it is truly "everyone else". Parasitic situation, to be sure, un-American, un-Democratic and un-sustainable.

However, on the plus side, it is indeed a parasite's dream come true.

[lifeexplorer]

Originally Posted by Open-D

So it is everyone else, and for the nearly half of Americans who work, earn substantial amounts of $$$, but due to idiotic tax laws, pay $0 (or less in Fed. Inc. Tax), it is truly "everyone else". Parasitic situation, to be sure, un-American, un-Democratic and un-sustainable.

However, on the plus side, it is indeed a parasite's dream come true.

Please don’t forget the icing on the cake: if you refuse to pay taxes, they are more than willing to have you killed.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by Open-D

So it is everyone else, and for the nearly half of Americans who work, earn substantial amounts of $$$, but due to idiotic tax laws, pay $0 (or less in Fed. Inc. Tax), it is truly "everyone else". Parasitic situation, to be sure, un-American, un-Democratic and un-sustainable.

However, on the plus side, it is indeed a parasite's dream come true.

That's not true. Canada has a national sales tax, called the GST. That plus slightly more progressive income tax rates fund their system

No reason we couldn't implement a national sales tax here, even if it meant making an amendment to the constitution

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by lifeexplorer

Please don’t forget the icing on the cake: if you refuse to pay taxes, they are more than willing to have you killed.

Who has been killed for not paying their taxes? A few have gone to jail, like Wesley Snipes and Irwin Schiff, but they were purposely breaking the law

[thefragile]

Originally Posted by scarabchuck

The middle class doesn't want to pay for it.
We had some friends spend the weekend with us from Canada. All we kept hearing was how much more a cottage, house, boat, ATV's , food , booze etc was due to the higher taxes they pay.

Oh dear, the poor dears with all those ATV’s, booze, cottages so necessary to life. Gosh what s bummer.

[Mircea]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

That's not true. Canada has a national sales tax, called the GST. That plus slightly more progressive income tax rates fund their system

No reason we couldn't implement a national sales tax here, even if it meant making an amendment to the constitution

You can't have national anything, since you're a federal republic.

You can have a federal sales tax.

People in California would pay 35% while people in Wyoming and Montana would pay 1%.

Get it?


You do understand the Constitution, right?

Article I Section 9 Clause 4 states:

No capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.

That means the sales tax in California would be 35%, 33% in New York, 32% in Texas, 30% in Pennsylvania and least populous States like Wyoming, Montana and Vermont would pay 1% to 2%.

That's why you have a 16th Amendment:

Amendment XVI

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

See the key clause? "...without apportionment among the several states..."

That's what that means.

"[W]ithout apportionment" means the same tax rate can be levied upon everyone regardless of population.

But, also note the other key clause: "...on incomes, from whatever source derived..."

You can only tax income, not wealth, not assets and you cannot tax goods or services.

The chances of amending the Constitution amended to permit a sales tax or wealth tax is zero.

The government can use excise taxes.

You do have a gasoline excise tax and previously there were federal excise taxes on rubber and oil, so you paid higher prices for tires and anything made of rubber and for oil.

In the 1920s there was a federal excise tax on chewing gum. Yes, read the schedule.

The government now uses NAICS.

So government could levy an excise tax on curtains, but not drapes. Or a group of items that included both curtains and drapes and valances, or a class of items like window coverings and treatments which would include curtains, drapes, valences, vertical blinds, horizontal blinds, window tinting, window frosting and the like.

That's how that works.

[skeddy]

5 states already have a sales tax of 9%, just add on another 10/15% on to that.

[Open-D]

Originally Posted by skeddy

5 states already have a sales tax of 9%, just add on another 10/15% on to that.

Now it's getting well beyond absurd.