A Minority View

> A MINORITY VIEW


> > BY WALTER WILLIAMS

> > RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER

> > 2, 2009

> >

> > Washington's

> > Lies

> >

> >

> > President Obama and congressional supporters estimate that

> > his health care plan will cost between $50 and $65 billion a

> > year. Such cost estimates are lies whether they come from a

> > Democratic president and Congress, or a Republican president

> > and Congress. You say, "Williams, you don't show

> > much trust in the White House and Congress." Let's

> > check out their past dishonesty.

> >

> > At its start, in 1966, Medicare cost $3 billion. The House

> > Ways and Means Committee, along with President Johnson,

> > estimated that Medicare would cost an inflation-adjusted $12

> > billion by 1990. In 1990, Medicare topped $107 billion.

> > That's nine times Congress' prediction. Today's

> > Medicare tab comes to $420 billion with no signs of leveling

> > off. How much confidence can we have in any cost estimates

> > by the White House or Congress?

> >

> > Another part of the Medicare lie is found in Section 1801 of

> > the 1965 Medicare Act that reads: "Nothing in this

> > title shall be construed to authorize any federal officer or

> > employee to exercise any supervision or control over the

> > practice of medicine, or the manner in which medical

> > services are provided, or over the selection, tenure, or

> > compensation of any officer, or employee, or any

> > institution, agency or person providing health care

> > services." Ask your doctor or hospital whether this is

> > true.

> >

> > Lies and deception are by no means restricted to modern

> > times. During the legislative debate prior to ratification

> > of the 16th Amendment, President Howard Taft and

> > congressional supporters said that only the rich would ever

> > pay federal income taxes. In 1916, only one-half of 1

> > percent of income earners paid income taxes. Those earning

> > $250,000 a year in today's dollars paid 1 percent, and

> > those earning $6 million in today's dollars paid 7

> > percent. The lie that only the rich would ever pay income

> > taxes was simply a lie to exploit the politics of envy and

> > dupe Americans into ratifying the 16th Amendment.

> >

> > The proposed tax increases that the White House and Congress

> > are proposing will probably pass. According to the

> > Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation, during 2006, roughly

> > 43.4 million tax returns, representing 91 million

> > individuals, had no federal tax liability. That's out of

> > a total of 136 million federal tax returns. Adding to this

> > figure are 15 million households and individuals who file no

> > tax return at all. Roughly 121 million Americans -- or 41

> > percent of the U.S. population -- are completely outside the

> > federal income tax system. These people represent a natural

> > constituency for big-spending politicians. Since they have

> > no federal income tax obligation, what do they care about

> > higher taxes or tax cuts?

> >

> > Another big congressional lie is Social Security. Here's

> > what a 1936 government pamphlet on Social Security said:

> > "After the first 3 years -- that is to say, beginning

> > in 1940 -- you will pay, and your employer will pay, 1.5

> > cents for each dollar you earn, up to $3,000 a year ...

> > beginning in 1943, you will pay 2 cents, and so will your

> > employer, for every dollar you earn for the next 3 years.

> > ... And finally, beginning in 1949, twelve years from now,

> > you and your employer will each pay 3 cents on each dollar

> > you earn, up to $3,000 a year." Here's

> > Congress's lying promise: "That is the most you

> > will ever pay." Let's repeat that last sentence:

> > "That is the most you will ever pay." Compare that

> > to today's reality, including Medicare, which is 7.65

> > cents on each dollar that you earn up to nearly $107,000,

> > which comes to $8,185.

> >

> > The Social Security pamphlet closes with another lie:

> > "Beginning November 24, 1936, the United States

> > government will set up a Social Security account for you ...

> > The checks will come to you as a right." First,

> > there's no Social Security account containing your

> > money, but more importantly, the U.S. Supreme Court has

> > ruled on two occasions that Americans have no legal right to

> > Social Security payments.

> >

> > We can thank public education for American

> > gullibility

> >