Monday, June 18, 2012

Hmmm... Who's Missing, Here?

Via 'Myfoxdfw.com' (the DFW Fox Affiliate) comes this article titled "4 Groups that win if Obamacare is repealed."  It lists: Small Business, Doctors, 'The Wealthy,' and Big Business.  I think they missed a group: the middle class.

Now it's possible that the author simply believed that to be self evident, but, to Liberals, it seems not to be.  Let me lay it out.  I wouldn't want there to be any confusion.

Small Businesses are often the opitome of "Middle Class."  Sure, the owner may file taxes that say they brought in $250,000+ in income this year.  That's mostly because most small businesses file taxes on their personal taxes.  In many cases, once everything is sorted out, the actual "income" for the family is a much more mundane amount.  It's often short of six figures.  So, when Small Businesses do well, the middle class do well.

The people who are most pressured by changes in health care costs are the Middle Class.  So when doctor's costs go down, or when there is more competition among doctors, it stands to reason that the Middle Class will benefit.  The poor are so heavily subsidized that they mostly don't notice changes in health care costs.  The rich can often shrug off the increased costs.  The Middle Class, however, are not subsidized by tax dollars, and they can often feel the sting of increased costs quite sharply.

First off, the article's definition of "the wealthy," is similar to Small Business.  Simply making over $250,000 per year is often an indicator that you operate a small business.  Even outside that, though, is the fact that capital gains and dividend taxes do not simply target "the wealthy."  They target anyone who makes enough in capital gains or dividends to pay taxes on them.  Many Middle Class families who have bothered to save for their own retirement will be hit by these increased taxes.

Finally, Big Companies are a major wellspring of the Middle Class.  When they do well, their employees do well.  Their employees, especially among the "professional class" are middle class workers.  In workplaces that are union shops, this is even more true, but it applies to all businesses.  Either the success of the business will lead to more people being hired, which adds to the number of those in the Middle Class, or those already working there make more money.  Often, both occur.

Now, I don't normally like the term "Middle Class," anyway.  It's a collectivist term that exists only to stoke class warfare.  However, given its common usage, it is useful whatever my personal opinion.  That said, the shorter version is this:  Obamacare being struck down would be good for everyone.  Everyone benefits when Small Business, Doctors, The Wealthy, and Big Business benefit.  Rooting against them is the same as rooting against yourself.

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