eudaimon

The idea? “Pledging” hours of community service in the first year of the Obama administration. This from Obama Works, which spent the election combining Obama advocacy with service:

The spirit that animated President Obama’s campaign – and, we like to think, that animated Obama Works – isn’t any less important now than it was a few months ago. Our dedication to our communities, the culture of service and participation that we were a part of are still just as necessary.

So we’re asking you to make a pledge. Not a pledge of money – a pledge of time to your community during the first year of the Obama Presidency.

Cross-posted with Show Me Progress.

From mccainhealthtax.com, my McCain Health Tax:

MCCAIN HEALTH TAX IN 2013 : $ 394
MCCAIN HEALTH TAX IN 2018 : $ 1181

It would be a shame if, amid the implosion of Ted Stevens and (dare I say?) the McCain campaign, healthcare got lost in the mix. I can’t overstate its importance in this election, and the choice is a pretty stark one: a McCain plan estimated to raise taxes on the middle class, kick 20,000,000 Americans out of their employer health insurance and 5,000,000 off insurance altogether, or an Obama plan that insures millions more Americans – including all children – attacks disparities in care and lets government negotiate for drug prices.

So I’m glad someone took the time to throw together this clever little McCain Health Tax Calculator. It comes in site and widget form, it’s high-impact, it’s easy to use, and a pretty compelling reminder that John McCain wants to raise taxes on the middle class by taxing – for the first time ever – employer health benefits as though they were our income. Just go to the site, enter some basic information, and get back your tax hike. And now, a bit of explanation as to why it’s like that.

Cross-posted with Show Me Progress.

John McCain has reaped the benefits of government-run healthcare his entire life. Never has he had to experience the private healthcare system he seems to love and wants to deregulate. From the Navy doctors of his childhood and early adulthood, to the Congressional health plan that he has today, John McCain has had it pretty good. (In fact, if he wanted to get private insurance, his melanoma would probably make that very difficult and expensive.)

So it was with great shock that I learned today that John McCain is proposing $1.3 trillion – yes, TRILLION in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid over 10 years.

The Republican presidential nominee has said little about the proposed cuts, but they are needed to keep his health-care plan “budget neutral,” as he has promised. The McCain campaign hasn’t given a specific figure for the cuts, but didn’t dispute the analysts’ estimate. (Wall Street Journal)

This is the “budget-neutral” healthcare plan, by the way, that slaps a hefty health tax on middle-class families, kicks 20,000,000 Americans off of their current insurance and 5,000,000 off of any insurance at all. Did I mention that McCain also voted against funding for children’s health insurance? This man is a walking healthcare disaster.

If John McCain wants to pull the rug out from the elderly and poor people who depend on Medicare and Medicaid, perhaps he should consider giving up on the federal healthcare he has relied on for his entire life.