Let's be clear, the $83,000 number is a LIE.

[Bleacher Creature]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/09/25/83000-schip/

ThinkProgress debunked this figure last month. It comes from a REQUEST from New York to cover children in some slightly higher-income households because of the state’s high cost of living. It was rejected.

Put aside the argument that a family of four isn't exactly living on easy street on $83K a year, and also the argument that you have to over-include people in the program to ensure that EVERYONE is covered. These are both fine arguments, but beside the point.

Bush was called on the $83K claim, and still includes it in his talking points. When you make a statement that you know is false intending to mislead the listener, that is a LIE. It's not a half-truth or inaccuracy, it is a LIE.

[againes654]

1. Ahhhh

but lying is what * does best.

[MrModerate]

2. George Bush lying? I'm shocked, shocked, I tell you.

And this vote is the gift that will just keep giving. Not healthcare to those who can't afford it of course, but Bush has given the Dems another stick to beat the 'Licans with and pretty soon they'll be so well equipped with weapons that their ability to stupid themselves out of a landslide victory in 2008 will be seriously constrained.

[Jim__]

3. Just another lie. Unfortunately, it's not very surprising - n/t

[napi21]

4. Thanks. I asked about that in another thread, but never got an

answer. Do you have any idea what the income limit is? I understand NY COL is much higher than in most other parts of the country, but $83,000 really does sound like an awful high number to me.

[lapfog_1]

5. So, if I now make a REQUEST for a salary of $250K

on my next job interview (after my boss fires me for being silly), I can SAY that my last salary was $250K! And if anyone calls me on it, I can just say that I was following the logic and truthfulness of our Pretzeldunce!

Right?

:sarcasm:

[redqueen]

6. Yeah, but he and his pals LIE all the damn time.

And for whatever reason, the 'liberal' media never calls 'em on it.

:wtf:

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. It's the kind of idiotic claim that carries well on nit wit broadcasts,

like "welfare queens".

Make no mistake, it's Marie Antoinette comes to Washington.

[matt819]

8. Disconnect from the real world

With a loaf of bread at more than $3, milk at around $4, gas hovering around $3 per gallon, and homes selling for ridiculous sums in metropolitan areas, $83,000 just isn't that large a figure. It was once. But no more. Also, consider that this figure is, as often as not, earned from a 2-income (or more) family. So now we have two full-time working parents, each earning $41,500. This figure puts each worker at the lower end of the salary scale and so, almost certainly, at risk of cutbacks, layoffs, outsourcing, etc.

Now, onto health insurance. Rates and programs are all over the place, but I pay about $1,000 monthly for a family of four for private health insurance, primarily major medical with a high deductible, so I'm out of pocket another $1,500 or so per year on co-pays and Rx. Now that $13,500 is more than 16% of the $83,000 gross and probably in the area of 22% or more of net after taxes and such. If this family of four weren't at the poverty line before their insurance bill, they are afterwards.

Of course, this sort of analysis is pretty simple and is essentially meaningless, since the administration has nothing but contempt for anyone who has to actually work for a living.

[DaveJ]

9. You're right, $83k is not a tremendous ceiling

It's a lot more than most people make but for a family living in an area with a high cost of living, it depends on the situation. For instance I'm making a decent amount of money now, but only after years of college, years of bottom of the barrel wages, and as a result, years of paying off debts before I ever break even.

While the Right Wing thinks Democrats like to play class warfare, BushCo appears to be retaliating by trying to turn the unwashed masses against one another so they can go about their business undisturbed.

[Bleacher Creature]

10. Fundamentally, it shouldn't matter.

I posted this in another thread, but should do it again here. A NYT column by Paul Krugman from August really frames the issue perfectly. The money quote (no pun intended) is:

"We offer free education, and don’t worry about middle-class families getting benefits they don’t need, because that’s the only way to ensure that every child gets an education — and giving every child a fair chance is the American way. And we should guarantee health care to every child, for the same reason."

http://select.nytimes.com/2007/08/27/opinion/27krugman.html?n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/Op-Ed/Columnists/Paul%20Krugman