Clueless, out-of-touch, elitist Bush, thinks employee health care is.... FREE!!!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

Wow. I have not seen this posted here, but it's been at Dkos all day.

Bush: Employer Provided Heatlh Coverage Is "Free"
by Mr Populist
Fri Jan 26, 2007 at 05:42:55 AM PST

George W. Bush at a health care initiatives roundtable in Lee's Summit Missouri, yesterday:

One way to encourage you to make the right decisions when it comes to health care is to take the inequities out of the tax code. If you work for a company, you pay — you get your health care free, in essence. It’s part of the benefit package. If you’re a stand-alone person, you pay your health care on an after-tax basis. In other words, there’s discrimination in the tax code based upon who you work for. It makes it harder for people to be able to — individuals or small company employees to be able to buy health care.

Did he say employer subsidized insurance is free? You coulda fooled me!....

Much more at the link, comments are great: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/26/862/25848

This is the equivalent of Poppy Bush acting like the supermarket scanner was the 8th modern wonder.
Actually it's worse.

And he really did say this folks- it's being blogged on the NYTimes website: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/bush-on-free-health-care-benefits/

[aquart]

1. Why didn't the Founding Fathers insist the president be sane?

You know, the legal distinction of knowing the difference between right and wrong?

[oasis]

2. I'd settle for a "No Idiot for President Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution.

:thumbsup:

[CrazyOrangeCat]

3. grrrrrrrr...

what
a
dick

[JohnnyLib2]

4. Tinfoil hat or not, I couldn't have predicted that asinine remark.

(shaking head, speechless)

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. Clearly the ramblings of a man who has never had to

look at a pay stub in his entire silver-spoon fed life.
Oh, if only he had uttered this inanity before November 2, 2004!!!

[Supersedeas]

14. tell me that he drifted away from the script

[MrTriumph]

6. Can you imagine what the MSM would say if Hillary had said this in '93?

They'd have called her the nation's fool.

[Greyskye]

7. FUGWB

I work in high-tech, and a big-ass portion of my paycheck goes to my health and dental plans. I'm not complaining about that; but the Dim-Son's ignorance on the subject is simply pathetic.

[sutz12]

8. Well, I'm sure it is free for people in the boardroom.

You don't think REAL people have to worry about buying insurance and paying medical bills now do you?

He's never had a real job, how could he know about real people? :sarcasm:

On second thought, that isn't really sarcastic, is it?

[sandnsea]

9. More divide and conquer tactics

Pretty soon we're going to get some liberal group who has good health benefits and they're going to be pitted against everyone who pays for their own. Teachers, govt workers, unions - if they mean what they say about health care for all, why won't they support being taxed to pay for it.

Just wait and see.

[applegrove]

10. No. It is a wedge to make the employers who provide health care happy

when folk "opt out" of their programs (so they will not be taxed) and opt into a private plan (which they then can claim as tax deductions).

Otherwise the corporations might just think universal health care a good thing. The only reason to tax employer health care is to make it less popular and to ease the burden on employers.


IMHO.

[gratuitous]

11. Wow, free health care!

Who knew? But Bush the All Knowing has said it, so it must be so.

[Bobbie Jo]

12. What a Moron!

:eyes:

[knitter4democracy]

13. You can tell he's never worked.

Looking at a paycheck and seeing how much you're losing to the employee-part of the insurance tells you it sure isn't free.

Idiot. He's worse than his dad.

[TorchTheWitch]

15. K&R

The best campaign ad for universal health care ever.

[gasperc]

16. my company pays $11k to insure me and my family

I work for a big international company. that's nearly 10% of my salary and climbing fast. Imagine that cost on a small business.

Bush is totally out of his fucking mind. HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE OUT OF CONTROL. ALL COMPANIES BIG AND SMALL WILL DROP HEALTH INSURANCE AS IT CONTINUES TO CRUSH THEIR BOTTOM LINES.

[Red Knight]

17. Cut the tax breaks for the rich

No, he won't bring up that possibility. THOSE he wants permanent. He'd rather link it to other taxes---more middle class taxes. Same old story. Unions negotiate health care as part of the total compensation package--it isn't free.

And if he thinks that only the wealthy gold star plans will be taxed he hasn't looked at the rising costs of health care. His so called limit will easily be reached by everyone in no time at all. This will be like the AMT tax that will slowly creep into everyone's health care package. And he knows that.

But at least the wealthy won't pay.

He's a moron.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

18. He's Right

IF $78 (after a $15 discount for doing a silly health-care improvement survey) bi-weekly just for premiums and $20 copays to see the doctor is what most people consider to be "free"! And boy does it just keep on getting "freer" every year too! :sarcasm: I would like to know why our elected leaders are even paid if all of their "basic" necessities (and campaign-related trips of course) are taxpayer-sponsored? Maybe we need to think about making our elected officials pay for all of the things that the rest of us have to pay for on a daily basis and see how fast life improves for EVERYBODY. There is NOTHING to be gained by enabling our leaders to live in a "bubble" nearly insulated from the (harsh) realities of everyday life. NO WONDER our leaders are so "out of touch" with the public!

[Supersedeas]

19. Senator Burrrrr will be prrroud

[Lisa]

20. what -- did he suddenly hallucinate that he was in Canada?

In one of the provinces that doesn't have premiums, anyway.