TresSugar

Health Care: The Low Down on the Candidates' Differences

CitizenSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:45:18 -0700

Rounding into the final stretch of the campaign, what has been a long year plus of promises on both sides now stand to become reality very soon - and for new plans like Obama's health-care proposal, business owners are thinking long and hard about what it will really mean for their bottom line. One small business owner is already considering not adding any workers to his four pet-supply stores in anticipation of the contribution he'll have to make.

Though there aren't hard numbers yet, economists believe Obama's plan might make large and medium companies pay as much as 6 percent of their payrolls toward the health-care plan. It's a number that has the small-business owner nervous - he currently has 90 employees, 29 of them full-time workers who are offered health benefits.“To all of a sudden whack 6 to 7 percent of payroll costs, forget it. If they do that, prices go up and employment goes down because nobody can absorb that.” Much of the concern comes from the fact that Obama's campaign has decided not to decide on details like penalties and cost to business.

While those details are vague, both candidates have released specifics. To see the specific differences between the two plans, read more.

Barack Obama:

Big Plan: Obama wants universal coverage accomplished by establishing a new federal health plan that provides benefits like those offered to federal employees. Premiums would be subsidized for low earners.
Access: He would prohibit insurance companies from withholding coverage to people with health problems or charging them higher rates.
Medicial Costs: He plans to control costs in part with a $50 billion investment in health information technology over five years.
How to Pay For It: “To help pay for all this, we will ask all but the smallest businesses who don’t make a meaningful contribution today to the health-care coverage of their employees to do so by supporting this new plan. And we’ll also allow the temporary Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to expire.”

John McCain:

Big Plan: McCain wants to give all consumers the same advantages, whether insurance comes through employers or not. He'll give $5,000 in tax breaks per family, and allow insurance to be purchased over state lines.
Access: For hard-to-insure, he's offering federal assistance for states to create high-risk pools that would contract with insurers cover those who've been rejected.
Medical Costs: He plans to control costs by limiting malpractice damages, investing in prevention and chronic-disease management, and encouraging the faster introduction of generic drugs.
How to Pay For It: “I’m certainly not interested in raising people’s taxes, as many of the Democrats are interested in doing. I’m absolutely opposed to that.”

For detailed side-by-side comparisons on every issue, and more specifics on health care, the NYT has a great break down.

Source

Get Educated on the Candidate's Higher Ed Proposals

LibertySugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700

An educated population benefits an entire country. Thus, both John McCain and Barack Obama have plans to make college degrees more affordable. Both candidates reach for that goal with drastically different plans.

The AP analyzed the proposals, finding that Obama's are more detailed, and expansive, while McCain's are generalized and call for the elimination of pork-barrel university research projects. Both want to simplify financial aid. To see key points from the candidate's proposals, read more.

Obama

New Program: Obama would provide most students up to $4,000 a year in tax credits for college, in return for 100 hours of community service. Obama's education proposals are paid for by cutting other federal programs, contracting, and procurement reform, and by eliminating spending on special Congressmember projects.
Student Grants: Obama pledges that Pell grants, which go to families with incomes under $50,000, will ''keep pace'' with increases in the cost of college. Pell grants used to cover half of tuition cost, now they cover about one-third.
Student Loans: Right now the government provides student loans directly, and subsidizes private lenders. Obama proposes moving the whole student loan system to direct-government loans, instead of subsidizing private lenders, too.

McCain

New Program: McCain does not propose any new program, citing existing spending pressures. McCain would simplify existing tax benefits, which many eligible families don’t claim, in order to ensure that more families have lower tax burdens when they are helping to send their children to college.
Student Grants: McCain would only consider raising Pell awards if there is a pressing need and the budget allows.
Student Loans: He supports the dual system of government and private loans. Supporters of the dual system argue it provides competition, which helps students. They also say the government could not administer the full program. (But thanks to the credit crisis, the government has propped up the private lending portion, so the parallel programs already are merging.)

Check out Obama's Education Plan and McCain's Education Plan in their entirety. Even though public colleges and universities fall under the jurisdiction of individual states, which candidate do you think represents your view of a proper national government approach to higher education?

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Issues Cheat Sheet: Where Do They Stand on Taxes?

LibertySugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:00:58 -0700

I love breaking down political personality and pageantry as much as the next person, but I still have hope that some voters care about the issues. Since we considered the possibility of a candidate's death recently, let's take a look at another inevitable - taxes.

Here are some crucial distinctions between McCain and Obama that might help you figure out which tax plan you like better. Keep in mind: neither of these plans (dreams?) would avoid a deficit.

Bush Tax Cuts: McCain wants to make the 2001 and 2003 cuts permanent (they are set to expire in 2010). Obama would allow cuts for income over $250,000 to expire, but would readopt other Bush cuts.
Capital Gains: Obama would most likely raise the capital gains tax from 15 percent to 20-25 percent, but also promises to offset any burden that would cause middle/lower income families with tax credits. Obama also notes that most families see capital gains through their 401 (k) plans, which are exempt from capital gain taxes. Despite evidence that when capital gains rates go down, revenue goes up, Obama says he would consider raising it as a matter of fairness. McCain would keep the capital gains at the revenue-making rate of 15 percent.
Middle Class: Under Obama, high-income taxpayers would pay more, while everyone else's tax bill would be reduced. Under McCain, high-income taxpayers will see the greatest reduction in taxes.

To find out what the candidates have planned for small businesses, major corporations, Americans set to inherit some money, and why they might write some Americans a check read more.

Small Business: McCain says he will make expensing rules more generous for small businesses. Barack Obama would eliminate the capital gains tax for start ups, and invest $250 million per year to increase small businesses in disadvantaged communities.
Death Tax and Alternative Minimum Tax: Both would reduce it, but Obama would by a lesser degree.
Corporate Taxes: McCain would lower the corporate tax rate from 35 to 25 percent in exchange for a repeal of some corporate loopholes, such as preferential treatment for oil companies. Obama would eliminate special-interest loopholes and deductions.
Refundable Tax Credit: McCain proposes cutting a check for $2,500 to individuals and $5,000 for families if they purchase their own health plan. Obama would provide such a credit to low-income families (who may not qualify to pay income taxes), to help pay for child-care.

Overall, under McCain on average an American's tax bill would be cut by $1,200, while under Obama it will be cut by $160. But, Obama would give larger tax cuts to low and moderate-income households and pay some of it by raising taxes on high-income taxpayers. Under McCain high-income taxpayers would benefit the most. And don't forget - the president doesn't actually have any power to tax. The next president will have to get Congress on board if he wants to do anything at all!

Check out these sources if you want to know more about the candidate's positions:

Source

Cheater Hater

DearSugar — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 14:30:17 -0800

Dear Sugar
I am a swf, 38. I'm very loyal, devoted and focused on living my life with no regrets as well as doing the right thing. I have strong morals and family values and I have a serious issue with people who cheat. I have zero respect for it and I think it's the meanest thing one person can do to another - especially when that one person took vows, or made a verbal commitment as boyfriend & girlfriend. Usually when I encounter a cheater, I don't even associate with them, I don't want to be connected in anyway to people like that. Well, a very good friend of mine is dating a married man and she tells me all the time how great he is between the sheets. I don't comment because she is a friend and I don't want to be judgmental - that's not a friend - but how do I handle this? It sickens me and not because of her, or the cheating loser she is seeing, but the poor wife that is home, caring for his kids and thinking she has a marriage that will last forever. Every time I hear about it, I pray that G-d plants the seed into destiny and allows the wife to find out. Perturbed Patricia

Dear Perturbed Patricia
You're bio should say: swf, 38 virtuous. I applaud your devotion to living such a good and praiseworthy lifestyle, but you can not project your values onto others - you can only be responsible for your choices. Also, you can not tell the wife. As much as you want to, and as much as she deserves to know, stay out of it. You do however; have the right to tell your friend how concerned you are about this relationship. She may call you judgmental and accuse you of being self-righteous, but I'll bet you'll feel better once you open this subject up for discussion. If you harbor your disgust, it's going to rear its ugly head. You'll wind up getting snooty and making little resentful comments. That's only going to harm your friendship (which is separate from her affair). The problem here is that although cheating is dishonest, you don't know what kind of marriage this man is in. By talking to her, it will show her that you are trying to understand despite your own feelings about adultery. Maybe this man's wife has cheated on him in the past, maybe he's planning a divorce, maybe his wife refuses him of sex or maybe they have an open marriage. But give her the benefit of the doubt and listen before you judge.