"I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents…" –James Madison

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"We’re coming to closure," Baucus told reporters. "It’s clear to me we’re going to get this passed."

To help defray the cost of the approximately $900 billion package, the panel agreed to modify a financing provision that would make it harder to deduct medical expenses on personal tax returns. After congressional tax analysts reported that the proposal would be hard on the elderly, whose medical expenses tend to be higher, the committee voted 14 to 9 to exempt people older than 65.

But younger taxpayers would still have to shell out more than $15 billion in new taxes over the next decade under the plan. Republicans assailed it as unfair and called it a violation of President Obama’s pledge to protect families making less than $250,000 a year.

"I think this is the worst idea in an ocean of bad ideas," said Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah). Making it harder to deduct medical bills "would badly hurt millions of Americans who are already struggling with medical expenses."

 

If this bill ultimately passes a great travesty will be foisted on decent people.  This past year I have witnessed people being given MY MONEY to buy homes, by cars, support failing private companies and now the government wants to limit my ability to take a deduction for significant medical expenses that I have paid out of pocket this year.  Financing government health care on the backs of people who have already paid the most is criminal.  Thank you Max Baucus, you fucking douche bag.

It looks like time to figure out a way to game the system and get some of my money back before the country goes to hell.

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Private property rights do not conflict with human rights. They are human rights. Private property rights are the rights of humans to use specified goods and to exchange them. Any restraint on private property rights shifts the balance of power from impersonal attributes toward personal attributes and toward behavior that political authorities approve. That is a fundamental reason for preference of a system of strong private property rights: private property rights protect individual liberty.

— Armen A. Alchian, “Property Rights”

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I’m still considering what I will do with my own show, one hour each week.   Economics certainly.  Exercises in understanding libertarianism.  My “take” on the issues of the day.   Kind of like this blog.  In fact, maybe we’ll call it, Stossel’s Take?

It will be terrific having Stossel advancing the cause of liberty fulltime.

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1. Transition away from 3rd party payer programs to restore cost accountability.  This will apply tremendous downward pressure on medical costs.
2. Remove health insurance from the realm of employment and give the tax breaks for insurance to individuals.

That’s it . . .simple, effective, beneficial and compassionate.  What is not needed is more government thievery while ceding control of your health to a bureaucracy trying to address the needs of more than 300 million people.

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