‘If McCain is elected, you are screwed,’ Steelworkers say in new national alert

[IndianaGreen]

‘If McCain is elected, you are screwed,’ Steelworkers say in new national alert

Author: John Wojcik
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 09/12/08 16:23

The United Steelworkers began alerting every single one of its members on Sept. 11 that enactment of John McCain’s health care plan would result in the actual loss of $2,400 to $3,300 in annual income by every working member of the union.

“This alone should create a grounswell of unshakeable support and activism for Obama and against McCain in this election. If McCain is elected you are screwed,” a union statement to its members said.

The union objects to the McCain plan because it would tax employer-sponsored health insurance as income, while creating new tax credits — $5,000 for a family and $2,500 for an individual – for people who buy their own insurance. The Steelworkers call it a “lose-lose” plan for American workers and their families.

“This means that workers would have to pay taxes on the value of health benefits they received from their employers. This is explicitly an attempt to kill the existing system of employer-provided care by dramatically increasing taxes on workers,” declared Leo Gerard, the Steelworkers’ president.

The Kaiser Family Foundation recently completed a breakdown of how the McCain plan would impact the typical worker:

“In 2007, for a family the average total premium for a health care plan was $12,106, with $8,824 paid by the employer. Let’s say the McCain plan is enacted. What would happen to that average family if the employer continued to provide coverage (Scenario 1)? For a married couple filing jointly with income $63K-138K, the marginal tax rate is 25 percent. So they would face a tax increase of $2,406 (25 percent of $8,824.)

http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/13701/

[Breeze54]

1. Awesome! I hope you cross post this in the Labor forum too!

K & R

[CrispyQ]

2. This message needs to get out there!

more from the article:

“So, remarkably,” the union statement says, “McCain has managed to design a heads-you-lose, tails-you-lose program. Either your employer keeps your coverage, in which case you face a huge tax increase. Or your employer drops your coverage, and you face an even more massive increase in your out-of-pocket health care costs."

McCain has claimed that employers who drop health coverage would then increase wages, compensating workers for the jump they would have to pay in health care costs. “In the long run, there’s a fair case to be made that this would happen,” McCain has said.

Emphasis added.

Holy shit, how far up his ass is McCain's head? Does he really think employeres are going to increase our wages to cover our health care costs? Will Americans fall for this line of total bullshit?

I'm sending this link to everyone in my address book.


k&r

[quiet.american]

3. K&R nt

[progressive_realist]

4. I really hope the Obama campaign is planning to use this

In the final weeks of the race. IMO, this is the single biggest issue that can be used to drive independents and even fiscally conservative Republicans our way. It is so unbelievably stark -- imagine a campaign ad that lays out these details and then asks, "John McCain wants to raise your taxes by an average of $2,400 per year. Can you afford that?"

Game over. Only the wealthiest 1% that are McCain's true base can answer that question to themselves in the affirmative. And it neutralizes the biggest meme used against Democrats: that we will raise taxes.

[Shine]

5. Yowsah !! Callin' it like it is.

:applause: Well done.

[BlooInBloo]

6. Good.

[Barack_America]

7. Excellent. McCain's piss-poor excuse for a healthcare "plan" has not gotten enough attention.

If McCain is elected, we are ALL screwed.

You try and find me a healthcare plan for a family of four that will run under $5000 a year. It doesn't exist (save one with so many deductibles and co-pays that it covers nothing at all).

[maseman]

8. I saw a car at the golf course this morning

with a huge poster on each back window that said "Steelworkers for Obama!" I wanted to shake the person's hand but he wasn't around.

He also had a Go Steelers poster which made me cringe as a Browns fan. Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

[radfringe]

9. if mccain gets in - we are all screwed

even the freaking knuckle-dragger next door, who frequently talks about "mud people", knows that

and btw - knuckledragger is moving....house has a PENDING banner on the "For Sale" sign... YEAAAAA



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvtKGNvJ5u4

[amborin]

10. yes, everyone would be screwed, except the very wealthy n/t

[blondeatlast]

11. This needs to get out there; they've been working on this sneaky "screw the worker"

for several years now; McSame will make it happen.

[livetohike]

12. Kick

:kick:

[chicagoexpat]

13. John McCain Lie Counter Web Page

John McCain Lie Counter Web Page
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7075041&mesg_id=7075041

[Forkboy]

14. Kick for this!!

:kick:

[sandnsea]

15. Just tell the truth and they think it's hell n/t

[avaistheone1]

16. The steelworkers message will resonate

It is short, sweet, and speaks to American's pain.

[Bread and Circus]

17. Let's be clear, the goal of those pulling McCain's strings is to offload

health insurance from employers and consumerize it.

What they really want are individuals to "buy" their own insurance. This could be disasterous in many ways, not the least of which is forcing a lot of people out of a "collective" bargaining scenario.