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Wednesday, December 13, 2017

A Taxing Parable

Consider this story:  Before the Civil War, a plantation owner had slaves who lived for free in little huts he provided.  Once the war ended, those slaves were freed.  The plantation owner told the former slaves that they could continue to live in the huts for free.  Many, however, chose to move elsewhere.  When asked what he thought of the slaves' leaving, the plantation owner said, "They've lost their homes."

This story is actually a demonstration of the attitude of the Democrats and the media towards the repeal of the Individual Mandate in the GOP tax bill.  The Individual Mandate requires each American to buy health insurance or to pay a substantial tax.  The mantra of the Democrats has been that if the Individual Mandate is repealed, millions will "lose" health insurance.  That's just like the slaves who, upon being freed, "lost" their homes.  The reality is that the former slaves made their own choice and left.  Similarly, the American people who make their own choice and drop health insurance coverage have not "lost" their policies.  Remember, all the subsidies and even the free coverage under Medicaid will not be altered; the only difference is that Americans will not be legally required to use those subsidies and free coverages.  It's called restoring freedom, not the loss of health insurance policies.

There has been so much misinformation put out by the media and the Democrats about this piece of the tax legislation, that many people have been confused.  They should learn the truth.

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