Excerpt from Stephanopoulos's blog:
OBAMA: Well, hold on a second, George. Here -- here's what's happening. You and I are both paying $900, on average -- our families -- in higher premiums because of uncompensated care. Now what I've said is that if you can't afford health insurance, you certainly shouldn't be punished for that. That's just piling on. If, on the other hand, we're giving tax credits, we've set up an exchange, you are now part of a big pool, we've driven down the costs, we've done everything we can and you actually can afford health insurance, but you've just decided, you know what, I want to take my chances. And then you get hit by a bus and you and I have to pay for the emergency room care, that's...
STEPHANOPOULOS: That may be, but it's still a tax increase.
Yes Georgey, in Canada we call it skating.
OBAMA: No. That's not true, George. The -- for us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase. (By getting the government involved? Please. To me, personal responsibility and government are not the best of friends) What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore than the fact that right now everybody in America, just about, has to get auto insurance. Nobody considers that a tax increase. People say to themselves, that is a fair way to make sure that if you hit my car, that I'm not covering all the costs.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But it may be fair, it may be good public policy...
OBAMA: No, but -- but, George, you -- you can't just make up that language and decide that that's called a tax increase. Any...
STEPHANOPOULOS: Here’s the...
OBAMA: What -- what -- if I -- if I say that right now your premiums are going to be going up by 5 or 8 or 10 percent next year and you say well, that's not a tax increase; but, on the other hand, if I say that I don't want to have to pay for you not carrying coverage even after I give you tax credits that make it affordable, then...
STEPHANOPOULOS: I -- I don't think I'm making it up. Merriam Webster's Dictionary: Tax -- "a charge, usually of money, imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes."
OBAMA: George, the fact that you looked up Merriam's Dictionary, the definition of tax increase, indicates to me that you're stretching a little bit right now. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone to the dictionary to check on the definition. I mean what...
Editor's - that's me - lousy note: I don't understand Obama's logic here. What I get from this is it's indicative of the times we live in when you're forced to go to a dictionary to describe anything since classic definitions are often challenged. It reminds me of a scene in The Simpsons when Chief Wiggum busts in on Fat Tony's bar/social club and shouts "We got you for murder, Fat Tony!" to which he replies, "What's a moider?" Soooo, Obama could have said to George, "What's a tax?" and smirk at the camera.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, no, but...
I don't know. I have a hard believing this won't be a tax increase. I totallyget Obama's take on things but he's having a hard time selling it. He keeps saying we need to have "a legitimate" debate to everyone. I'm left wondering, at this point, what's "legit" to him? I see healthy debate - excuse the pun.
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