http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5095 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:36:51 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5095&cpage=1#comment-13172 Sean_Wise Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:46:13 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5095#comment-13172 Stealth taxation is a tried and true method for the government to fund what it cannot afford to appropriate directly. Look at the cost of health care. Government consistently increased the mandates for what is provided under Medicare, very poorly manages payments for fraud, and then tries to stay in budget by paying a rate for services that does not even cover costs. It does however, allow the health care providers increase their overhead rates so that those still in the workforce (who are paying for Medicare already) gets socked for higher costs when they need health care. Its no wonder that virtually all the wage increases for the average middle class family went to health care premiums rather than into their pockets. If Congress was honest with the American people about what carbon dioxide abatement would cost them personally, they know they'd be thrown out in a heart beat. But by passing these costs off to a third party, they'll be more than happy to stand in front of their constituencies and chastise the energy and fuel suppliers for all the grief that is caused. I think the slight of hand that is stealth taxation is an issue that needs to come to the forefront of the political discussion because its taking a bigger and bigger chunk out of the middle class family budget. Stealth taxation is a tried and true method for the government to fund what it cannot afford to appropriate directly. Look at the cost of health care. Government consistently increased the mandates for what is provided under Medicare, very poorly manages payments for fraud, and then tries to stay in budget by paying a rate for services that does not even cover costs. It does however, allow the health care providers increase their overhead rates so that those still in the workforce (who are paying for Medicare already) gets socked for higher costs when they need health care. Its no wonder that virtually all the wage increases for the average middle class family went to health care premiums rather than into their pockets. If Congress was honest with the American people about what carbon dioxide abatement would cost them personally, they know they’d be thrown out in a heart beat. But by passing these costs off to a third party, they’ll be more than happy to stand in front of their constituencies and chastise the energy and fuel suppliers for all the grief that is caused. I think the slight of hand that is stealth taxation is an issue that needs to come to the forefront of the political discussion because its taking a bigger and bigger chunk out of the middle class family budget.

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