Nancy Pelosi and her union allies have purportedly reached a “deal” to soften the concerns of union leaders about the tax to be levied on high value health plans as part of the monstrosity of a health care bill being developed in Congress. The principle behind this deal is this: her political allies are entitled to a sweetheart deal and all other Americans are left to pay the bill.
As part of this “deal”, health plans negotiated on behalf of state and local employees or as part of collective-bargaining agreements would be exempt for five years after the 2013 effective date of the legislation. If one belongs to a union or works for state or local governments they get a five year tax windfall. If one does not: tough luck. And guess what! The reduced revenue from this exemption will mean higher taxes on everyone else to pay for the resulting reduction in revenue. There is simply no excuse to justify this treatment of American taxpayers other than sheer political favoritism. This is an abuse of the legislative process and an in your face abuse of power that has become typical of the Democratic controlled Congress.
Americans have also been shocked to see other sweetheart deals such as Nebraska being exempted from having to pay for this healthcare bill - the so called “Cornhusker Kickback.”
This sort of thing must end!
As a candidate for Congress, I want to go to Washington D.C. to represent all the people of New Hampshire. I will never participate in any such scheme to cut a special deal for some of my constituents who have supported my election and leave the majority out in the cold with a bill in hand. Carol Shea-Porter should immediately denounce this outright act of political corruption or else explain to the many New Hampshire citizens not eligible for the exemption why they must pay taxes that her political allies will not.
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