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Drugs, Dogs, and Democrats

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Although the word federalism does not appear in the Constitution, it is one of the most important and innovative concepts in it. The states of the United States of America created the national government in 1789. The states had been in existence as independent, sovereign colonies for many, many years. Only Georgia (1732) among the original thirteen colonies was not established in the 1600s. The Declaration of Independence (1776) states, We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States. This status continued when the states adopted the Articles of Confederation (1781): Article II. Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every Power, ...

Hands Off My Cadillac!

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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or ACA), better known as Obamacare, was signed into law by Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. It was one of the most partisan pieces of legislation in history. Not a single Republican in the House or the Senate voted in favor of the bill (H.R. 3590, P.L. 111–148). The ACA expanded Medicaid eligibility, created state health-insurance exchanges, instituted federal subsidies for the purchase of health insurance, eliminated co-payments and deductibles for selected health-insurance benefits, required the guaranteed issue of insurance policies without regard to pre-existing conditions, prohibited annual and lifetime limits on the dollar value of essential health benefits, mandated that certain employers provide health insurance, and mandated that every individual not covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or health insurance purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. But in spite of those “reforms,” Obamacare is basically a collection of new taxes masquerading as a health-care law. The ACA increases the ...

Americans Certainly Do Need a Payroll Tax Cut

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For most employees in the United States there are three different federal taxes taken out of their paychecks by their employers: income tax withholding, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax. Social Security and Medicare taxes are known together as payroll taxes. Unlike the amount withheld for income tax, over which employees have some control, depending on how many allowances they claim on their Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate (W-4 form), the amount taken from paychecks for Social Security and Medicare taxes is a fixed percentage. The Social Security tax rate is currently 12.4 percent (split equally between employer and employee) on the first $132,900 of employee income. The Medicare tax rate is currently 2.9 percent (split equally between employer and employee) on every dollar of employee income. Self-employed persons pay the full 15.3 percent, but receive a deduction toward their income tax equal to 50 percent of the amount of their payroll taxes. “The rich” also pay ...