Sunday, May 02, 2010

Senate Candidate Hotstettler

Hotstettler issues:

  • John has voted to repeal the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which authorized the income tax. As a senator, John would vote for repeal again in order to move the country to a national retail sales tax similar to the type used in Indiana to fund state government.
A national sales tax would be extremely costly. The general budget is roughly $2 trillion. National income is around $7 trillion. Assuming a 3% savings rate, we spend roughly $6.79 trillion which would require a sales tax of over 29%. This would not cover Social Security or Medicare. However, it would eliminate; tax credits of college and children; dependency exemptions; over age 65 exemptions and more. The problem is many families would simply be unable to pay a 29% sales tax. If you exempt food (6% of our economy) and Healthcare (17% of our economy) the sale tax rate rises to over 38% and this does not include Social Security and Medicare. I am not sure he has thought this through. Though I strongly believe this would provide a very strong rally by the people to cut spending.
  • Building on the success of Health Savings Accounts by making 100% of health insurance premiums either deductible or a tax credit
Providing health savings accounts deductible or a tax credit would have no affect with a national sales tax. These types of credits reduce general revenues and drive up deficits. Tax credits are nothing more than another form of bailout or preferential treatment (earmark).
  • Creating Association Health Plans which allow individuals and families to negotiate, collectively, for health care services based on an association defined by profession, religion, membership in an organization, etc.
Allowing different entities the ability to negotiate a price with a healthcare provider does little to reduce cost. What it does is produce different price structures within the same provider for the same service. When a person goes to a store to buy something, the store does not charge different prices to each customer. The same should be for healthcare. Our healthcare problem was created by cost shifting that was the result of government dictated payments to providers. It was later excererbated by individual health plans negotiating for lower rates due to cost shifting. This left the small and individual picking up the tab.

Candidate Hostettler appears to be conservative but blurs the line between bailouts, subsidies, tax reform and spending cuts. In my oppinion he does not have a clear distinction of how he would vote for legislation.

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