Home

SEARCH

Under McCain, Every Day Would Be Tax Day

by Seth Michaels, Apr 15, 2008

Around the country today, millions of us are making last-minute trips to post offices to drop off tax forms. And AFL-CIO union members will be there as well—to let people know that if Sen. John McCain is elected president, our tax bills may be a lot higher next year.

 

McCain has proposed a health care plan that would force working families to pay taxes on more than just our wages. His plan would tax our health care benefits.

 

But while millions of us would find it harder to pay for our health benefits under McCain’s plan, the same would not be true of the top 10 insurance companies: They would rake in nearly $2 billion in tax cuts. Just five oil companies, meanwhile, would see nearly $4 billion in tax cuts.

 

What’s more, McCain’s changes to the tax code could lead employers to drop health care benefits altogether, leaving working families at the mercy of a private health care market plagued by high costs, bias against pre-existing conditions and outright denials. (See the AFL-CIO’s 2008 Health Care for America Survey for the real story on America’s health care system.)

 

Indeed, McCain’s decades of voting in Washington and the proposals he’s laid out are dangerously stacked against working families. McCain has bought into the Bush agenda of tax cuts aimed at helping the absolute wealthiest, while undermining the ability of workers to have security and a shot at the middle class.

 

He’s voted to cut billions from Medicare and Medicaid.

 

He’s voted against prevailing wage laws and overtime pay, and even supported abolishing the minimum wage.

 

He supports privatizing Social Security, putting our retirement at risk.

 

In short, McCain—the ninth-wealthiest member of Congress—still doesn’t get it when it comes to sticking up for working families.

Union members in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa are handing out leaflets and educating working people about the costs of McCain’s agenda.

McCain has a choice to make. Will he offer working families in need hollow words that obscure the consequences of his policy prescriptions, or will he change course and offer real solutions to the problems in health care and throughout the economy?

Print This Article | E-Mail This Article | Comments (2)

2 Comments

  1. Granny on the warpath on 15.04.2008 at 13:13 (Reply)

    As I posted yesterday, Democrats spend, spend, spend and raise taxes to cover it. Republicans spend, spend, spend and borrow to cover it. Sounds like McClone is using both the Democratic and Republican strategies…we pay more now, our kids and grandkids pay more later to pay off the deficits.

    Interesting that the oil companies would get nearly $4 billion in tax cuts…aren’t they making enough profit now? The private insurance companies are already raking billions of dollars in profit for supposedly providing health insurance, aren’t they making enough that they can do without another $2 billion? I am trying hard to feel sorry for them but it just isn’t working….my sympathies are with working Americans who are just trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table and figure out how they can pay any more for gas and medical insurance (if they even have it!)

  2. TrueDemocrat on 16.04.2008 at 11:24 (Reply)

    Those cuts result in a turn around effect; checks to the Republican Party and/or candidates. Then it is business as usual.
    We need to take back America before the Republican Party stands on the mountain top looking at us peasants and controlling our every move. Time to hold our Democratic Party candidates accountable also. Look Joe Leiberman, 8 yrs. ago, we were ALL supporting him and Gore. Now he is an “Independent” in bed with McCain and hoping to speak at the Republican Party Convention. What a traitor to the party!

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

Register to Comment and sign up to get action alerts and e-news.

 
Jeff Crosby
Bear Sterns B.S.? Jeff Crosby, president of IUE-CWA Local 201 in Lynn, Mass., has had enough of it.
Read more diaries from the field >>
 
Steven Greenhouse
The Big Squeeze
 
Contact Us | Disclaimer