POLL: Is health care reform “class warfare?” You be the judge.

As a Democrat from a red state, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) is considered a key player in health care reform–and the Left is not happy with his recent comments about the House’s plans to impose a surtax on the wealthiest Americans to finance their proposals, calling it “class warfare.”

“I know it’s going to be difficult to find a way to finance the additional millions of Americans into the health care program … and what we have to do is find a way that’s fair,” Nelson said. “And it’s not fair to single out and create class warfare to do it.”

Nelson also called the CBO “an official umpire” and their nonpartisan report on “a devastating blow” to the Democrats’ efforts.

So, what’s this surtax and who does it affect? The Wall Street Journal reports:

Senate Finance Committee members are debating how to raise about $300 billion over 10 years to help pay for a $1 trillion health-care re-write.

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, also said Monday on MSNBC that the Senate would take a different approach to the surtax proposed by the House.

The House is readying legislation, to be unveiled Tuesday, that would impose a surtax on families with income above $350,000, raising more than $500 billion to fund new health benefits.

But Republicans are already pouncing on that plan, saying that it would hurt small businesses already buffeted by the recession.

“This is the problem when you spend over $1 trillion to give taxpayer-funded insurance to illegal aliens and people who already have private health insurance. You have to raise massive new taxes that, despite unemployment nearing 10%, hit hard small businesses and their employees,” said Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee.

The WSJ also says that the proposal, which hasn’t been offered officially, is unlikely to pass.

What do you think? Is this suggestion class warfare? Vote in the poll and post your comments below.

Popularity: 3% [?]

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1. Only Two Doctors in the U.S. Senate, on Health Care Reform
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3. Republican Representatives Will Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night on Health Care

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This entry was posted on Sunday, July 19th, 2009 at 1:28 pm and is filed under Politics and Capitol Hill. The entry is tagged under class warfare, democrats, health care, red states. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.