Excuses I Will No Longer Accept for Not Supporting CalCare: Taxes

Is there anything more American than loathing paying taxes? I believe our great nation was founded on a cry of “taxation without representation is tyranny,” followed by the ruining of vast amounts of perfectly good tea that were likely gathered by Indian peasants working under inhumane conditions in the Far East. These American freedom fighters who disposed of said tea, dressed themselves as Native Americans to carry out this act of rebellion. I believe that was the first incident of brown face on these shores.

Things only got worse from there.

So when the topic of CalCare or Medicare for All comes up, many politicians who know that it is the right thing for our state get quite coy about stating aloud that CalCare or Medicare for All will raise taxes.

There. I’ve said it.

In fact, I’ll say it again: CalCare and Medicare for All WILL raise taxes. Pause. Everyone okay? Someone check the sky to make sure it’s not falling. While you’re looking, please make sure you don’t see any pigs, either. And someone please summon the spirit of Saddam Hussein to see if there is snow in hell.

I’ll wait.

All good? Let’s move on.

Then why on earth would honest, red-blooded, apple-pie-loving patriots support such an act of tyranny? As mentioned in the previous article on cost, let’s look at the hard numbers: Take all the money you and your employer pay monthly for health insurance, add in the cost of co-pays, deductibles, and co-insurance, and put it in a pile. From that pile take out how much extra you’d have to pay in taxes under CalCare or Medicare for All. The only challenge will be what you will do with the money that’s left.

But it’s not all joyous jaunts to the bank for everybody. Some people — specifically those in the upper ranges of income — will actually wind up taking home less money than they do under the current system. For example, someone who’s making $750,000 a year might have to somehow scrape by on just $600,000 a year. Will they wind up on the streets? Will they not be able to feed their families? Will they have to switch to industrial, single-ply toilet paper? Probably not.

So the question before these high earners is the following: Are they willing to do with slightly less if it means that no one will get sick or die because they don’t have health coverage?

Only they can answer that question and act accordingly.

If you feel that it is worth the extra taxes to save money and save lives, then please contact your local State Assembly people and senators and tell them you support CalCare. Feel free to tell them you know that it will raise taxes. The more our elected representatives hear from their constituents, the more likely they are to give CalCare proper consideration and at the very least a chance for open discussion and voting. 

But if you feel that it’s not worth paying more in taxes and it’s okay to let people suffer and die early deaths because they can’t afford treatment, then let’s activate thoughts and prayers to make sure it’s not one of your loved ones that winds up in that situation. Then we’ll move on to the next casual conversation topic: religion.