# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1654
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33062 "2017-03-16T20:07:04Z")
> [@yanceylebeef](#): > > Texas Senator John Cornyn [said yesterday that the Democrats should offer their own bill to fix Obamacare.](http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/323934-top-gop-senator-to-democrats-offer-your-own-bill-to-fix-obamacare) > Really. [Like the one Bernie Sanders introduced in 2013?](https://www.healthcare-now.org/index.php?s=Bernie+Sanders+S.+1782) ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33063 "2017-03-16T20:33:17Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [Congress will be voting on a new bill to allow mentally ill veterans to get guns.](http://www.newsweek.com/guns-america-bill-seeks-allow-gun-sales-mentally-ill-vets-568578) > [@Czarcasm](#): > > On the premise that if someone is qualified to become President, they are qualified to own and operate a gun? He’s no veteran. (Being shipped off to military school as a teen by your exasperated family doesn’t count.) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33064 "2017-03-16T20:34:28Z")
This isn’t by itself stupid. In fact, it’s a bit refreshing. But I still find it scary: > [@](#): > > President Donald Trump says he’s aware the current version of the GOP’s health care bill could hurt the very people who helped put him in the White House. > The president acknowledged the findings of a recent Bloomberg report, which said working- and middle-class counties that voted for him in November would fare far worse under the new bill than affluent counties that supported Hillary Clinton. > “Yeah,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson that aired Wednesday. “Oh, I know that.” But it’s all OK, because… > [@](#): > > … he indicated that the bill was likely to go through further changes, calling it “very preliminary.” > > … > Carlson suggested that if the controversial bill were to fatten the wallets of wealthy Americans, it would be “inconsistent” with the message of Trump’s presidential campaign. > “A lot of things are inconsistent,” Trump said. “But these are going to be negotiated… We’ll see what happens in the Senate.” He can say it’s all “preliminary”, but I’d have a very insecure feeling just knowing that someone actually has it written up and poised for submission in that form if I were a Trump supporter and was in a position to have to rely on that law. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33065 "2017-03-16T20:55:50Z")
> [@](#): > > He can say it’s all “preliminary”, but I’d have a very insecure feeling just knowing that someone actually has it written up and poised for submission in that form if I were a Trump supporter and was in a position to have to rely on that law. Didn’t Ryan say the vote on his plan was “binary”, meaning Yes or No? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33066 "2017-03-16T21:27:09Z")
Well, remember that at first they were going to do “repeal and delay” and Trump said he wanted repeal and replace at the same time. Trump has the power to make them go back to the drawing board if he wants to exercise it. This is not an urgent issue. ACA will still be the same program for at least the next couple of years. If they can’t figure it out now, do tax reform and some budget cutting and come back to it next year. Or even after 2018, when Republicans might have more Senate seats. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33067 "2017-03-16T21:29:00Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > He’s no veteran. (Being shipped off to military school as a teen by your exasperated family doesn’t count.) He probably thinks it counts if he is Commander in Chief, though. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33068 "2017-03-16T21:33:01Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > [Like the one Bernie Sanders introduced in 2013?](https://www.healthcare-now.org/index.php?s=Bernie+Sanders+S.+1782) That doesn’t fix Obamacare, that’s repeal and replace. It also repeals and replaces Medicare. If that’s what Democrats want to do, hey, go for it. But you had this very argument in a Democratic primary and lost it, among YOUR OWN voters. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33069 "2017-03-16T21:33:36Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > He probably thinks it counts if he is Commander in Chief, though. On the theory that “veteran” means a FORMER military figure (in this case Commander-in-Chief)–I’ll drink to that. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33070 "2017-03-16T22:47:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > On the premise that if someone is qualified to become President, they are qualified to own and operate a gun? Not all veterans are qualified to be president. One does not have to be a natural born citizen to be in the armed forces, and some veterans are not even 35 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33071 "2017-03-16T22:57:52Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > They should offer a Medicare-for-all bill. I’m sure that would be exactly what Cornyn is looking for. > > It could even be a single page – something to the effect of “the eligibility age for Medicare is now 0”, along with a paragraph about taxes on the rich to pay for it. Nah, make it “the eligibility age for Medicare is now -9 months”. Make 'em vote against the poor little unborn babies. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33072 "2017-03-16T23:10:58Z")
Taxes on the rich to pay for Medicare for all? Someone doesn’t understand basic budget realities. It would take pretty huge middle class tax hikes(payroll tax hikes most likely) to pay for that, depending on how high you set the premiums. Or you’d need a VAT, or national sales tax. You’ld also have to REALLY make it a priority to control immigration. You can’t just have people coming over the border to get free health care. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33073 "2017-03-16T23:15:53Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Taxes on the rich to pay for Medicare for all? Someone doesn’t understand basic budget realities. It would take pretty huge middle class tax hikes(payroll tax hikes most likely) to pay for that, depending on how high you set the premiums. > > Or you’d need a VAT, or national sales tax. You’ld also have to REALLY make it a priority to control immigration. You can’t just have people coming over the border to get free health care. Do people go to Canada, Germany, or Great Britain for “free health care?” Just make it available to citizens and legal residents. As for paying for it, our firm pays about $1000/month per employee for health insurance now. If you took that off our plate, we’d gladly pay more in taxes. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33074 "2017-03-16T23:19:34Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Taxes on the rich to pay for Medicare for all? Someone doesn’t understand basic budget realities. It would take pretty huge middle class tax hikes(payroll tax hikes most likely) to pay for that, depending on how high you set the premiums. > > Or you’d need a VAT, or national sales tax. You’ld also have to REALLY make it a priority to control immigration. You can’t just have people coming over the border to get free health care. Eliminate the cap on payroll taxes to pay for a huge chunk. Institute a wealth tax. Bump up the estate tax on large estates. Small tax on very frequent stock trades. And many other options. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33075 "2017-03-16T23:41:31Z")
I don’t think there is a cap on Medicare payroll taxes, only SS taxes. Wealth taxes and estate taxes are small revenue raisers. We’re talking about health care here, not a program to study avian mating rituals. The Tobin tax is a good revenue raiser and has other virtues as well, but still doesn’t pay for health care. Not to mention by that point the effective tax rate on the rich is more than half their income. Do Democrats like the idea of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey being competitive again? There’s a reason Democrats have shied away from raising taxes on all but the very richest of Americans. But you can’t get the kind of revenue you need taxing only people making $400K or more. There’s a reason all Western countries fund their health care system with broad based taxes. This idea that we can have nice things by taxing a narrow base is a very quirky and adorable American concept. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33076 "2017-03-17T00:14:58Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > There’s a reason all Western countries fund their health care system with broad based taxes. This idea that we can have nice things by taxing a narrow base is a very quirky and adorable American concept. Well, remember that in America that “narrow base” has a far larger share of the income and wealth than in most other wealthy countries. The more economically unequal a society, the smaller the group you have to tax in order to obtain some serious revenue. Nonetheless, I too would be happy to trade our current billionaire-dominated setup for an economy in which gains were more equally shared in useful goods and services such as healthcare for all, even if it meant I was paying somewhat more in taxes myself. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33077 "2017-03-17T00:37:38Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Trump’s Oklahoma campaign manager, who is also a state legislator, was caught in a motel room with a teenaged boy. > [http://newsok.com/article/5541688](http://newsok.com/article/5541688) > > Senator Shortey once introduced a bill in the state legislature to prevent the use of aborted human fetuses in food. Before I read the article, I thought you misspelled “short eyes”, which is slang for child molester. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33078 "2017-03-17T01:03:14Z")
Its time for [George Will](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/abolish-the-national-endowment-for-the-arts/2017/03/15/0b6ca778-08db-11e7-a15f-a58d4a988474_story.html?utm_term=.81363f3e5069) to retire to an old folks home down in the Falkland Islands. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33079 "2017-03-17T01:04:10Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Whoa. I think there are legitimate grievances of white persons in some contexts. Yes. [This news program describes a white boy who is suing over a racial epithet.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE8nQZPfYpY) Fast forward to 1:17 to hear what the racist called him. NSFW. (She’s one of the best news reporters on the air right now, IMO. [Listen to her report on the “deep state.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgPjJqmCrbY) Here’s her [take on Jeff Sessions.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoyLYumj7tI)) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33080 "2017-03-17T01:50:11Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Not all veterans are qualified to be president. One does not have to be a natural born citizen to be in the armed forces, > **and some veterans are not even 35 years old.** Like me, for insta-- waitanminute (_ **kd99** checks DOB on driver’s license_) _ **60!!!???!!!** _ How the hell did THAT happen? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33081 "2017-03-17T02:11:37Z")
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