It’s A Tax!!!

The Republican talking machine is preoccupied with the Supreme Court ruling that Obamacare is legal because of the TAX.  While the same provision in Romneycare is termed a penalty, according to Fox and other Republican talking heads, Obamacare is “the largest tax ever imposed upon Americans”.  While Fox assumes their viewers are incapable of reading a 2000 plus page of legislation and while Senator Rubio also appears incapable of reading the law, lets talk a closer look at this so-called tax.  To begin with, why does it matter what term is used to describe the tax, fee, penalty, or what ever?  For one thing, is does not apply to everyone.  If an individual already has and keeps in place healthcare insurance there is no tax, fee, penalty, or whatever (TFPW) imposed.  In addition, if an individual does not make enough money to afford to buy healthcare on his (or her) own and is not provided healthcare insurance by his (or her) employer there is no TFPW.  Finally, if an individual does have employer provided healthcare insurance there is no TFPW.  That brings us to the actual implementation of the TFPW.  Only an individual with sufficient annual income to afford to purchase healthcare insurance but refused to do so will be subject to this TFPW.  However (and this is the most important “but”) the legislation specifically prohibits any department of the government including the IRS from taking any measures to collect this tax.  So, instead of the “largest tax increase ever imposed upon Americans” this is truly a Nancy Regan tax... “Just Say No” if you are one of the 1% that ends up having a TFPW levied.  Republicans should love this form of tax...one owes the tax but refuses to pay the tax and the government can do nothing to collect it!  This has to be a Republican creation so why do they oppose it?  Anyone with the answer to that question is welcome to comment.