ON WEDNESDAY THE 13TH OF JANUARY, LABOR UNIONS ARE HOLDING A “CALL IN DAY” TO CONGRESSMAN AND SENATORS FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON:
In one of the dumbest political moves ever, Democrats in the Senate and President Obama are pushing a measure to place hefty taxes on “good” health insurance benefits (meaning fairly good coverage and costing more than $21,000 for a family and $8,000 for an individual). These benefits are often won through hard bargaining and strikes. Even entertaining such a proposal is a “kick in the teeth” to unions and their rank and file without whom President Obama would not be in the White House and Democrats would not be in control of Congress.
Senator Baucus is pushing this politically suicidal idea in the Senate. He represents Montana, a state populated by barely enough people to form one good sized union. Let’s talk Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other more industrial states with a substantial and politically powerful labor movement. Union members who brought these states in for the President are outraged over this proposed cut in their compensation. As someone who spent many hours at the bargaining table, I understand just how sensitive this issue is to union members.
Furthermore, over the past thirty years, labor has endured stagnant wages and an increasing proportion of the tax burden while less and less of a burden has been placed on capital. With a lowly 15% tax on capital gains and myriad loop holes, shelters, and gimmicks cooked up by high powered tax lawyers, government is now disproportionately funded on the backs of average, ordinary, salaried and hourly employees.
So, instead of a tax on the top income/wealth class, which has for three decades escaped more and more of its tax burden, the Wall Street gang in the Obama Administration (e.g., Summers, Geithner, Emanual, etc.) will try to see to it that low and middle income earners take the hit.
ON WEDNESDAY CALL YOUR DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN AND/OR SENATOR AND TELL THEM TAXING HEALTH CARE PLANS IS A VERY BAD IDEA. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH REPUBLICANS; THEY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT UNION MEMBERS.