Robbing Peter Is Demanded By Paul
By Thomas D. Segel
October 22, 2009
People around the world have utilized The phrase "Robbing Peter to Pay Paul" for hundreds of years. In 1380 it was included in John Wycliff's "Selected English Works". It appears in the 1546 John Heywood's collection of "Word and Phrase Origins" and was first noted in the United States when it appeared in the "Thomas Hutchinson Papers" of 1657. The words mean to take money from one person and use it for another, a practice that appears to have been going on for a very long time.
We all have heard it time and time again. In fact, one of my favorite political aphorisms is, "As long as you are robbing Peter to pay Paul, you can always depend upon the support of Paul." And that, my friends is exactly what is happening with the so-called health insurance reform, which really has nothing to do with either healthcare or reform.
What started out as healthcare reform did not resonate with the American public, so the Obama Administration quickly searched for some villain they could attack. They discovered none of us like insurance companies very much; so healthcare reform quickly became healthcare insurance reform. But it still had no reform in the mix, because it did not allow people to shop across state lines for better rates and most of all, there was only a token reference to curbing those wild medical lawsuits that drive up everyone's costs.
Of course, to assure some support there were the bribes to keep all of America's Pauls in lock step. It is reported that the national mean income as of the last tax filing was $66,212. In simple terms this means half of the American work force brings in $66K or less. Well, since this makes up the Obama base, everyone making below that magic $66K will either receive tax subsidies to cover their health insurance or will be provided health insurance at no personal cost. In simple terms half of the American work force receiving above $66k a year, will buy health insurance for those with lower incomes.
But the redistribution doesn't end with just paying for the other guy's needs. We don't know how many illegal aliens are in this country, 8-10-12-20 million. There are so many and the Donkey Party pushing for "comprehensive" (read amnesty) immigration reform that a large segment of the population is starting to call the alien visitors Undocumented Democrats. These millions of people are supposed to be excluded from the various health bills, but don't you believe it. The Supreme Court already ruled we could not deny an education to illegal alien children and it has determined that hospitals can never turn away anyone seeking emergency care. There is a strong body of evidence that says, the high court will also rule those undocumented people should also be granted healthcare insurance.
The big question is, how many of these Pauls are out there today, just waiting for a payday? According the American Taxpayer Union 43% of all tax returns being filed will either receive taxpayer money in response to their not being required to pay any federal income tax or they will pay at such a low rate the total dollars submitted add up to only 2.89 percent of all income tax paid. More than 91 million people will be involved in this wealth redistribution scheme. Added to this number are another 15 million Pauls who will not even file a tax return.
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