Michael Torbic – 10/22/07

This page was last updated on November 4, 2007.

Paying for health care for all; Michael Torbic; Beaver County Times; October 22, 2007.

If a dictionary has an entry for “broken record,” surely it must contain a picture of Mr. Torbic (along with Velma Berger). Most of what’s in this letter was in seven previous letters beginning in November 2004. See “Use entertainment for funding,” “Expand entitlements’ tax base,” “Use lottery for Social Security,” “Hands off, Mr. Fix-It,” “Nation must plan to compete,” “A way to solve two problems,” and “We need national health care” as examples. In another letter, Mr. Torbic wanted gambling taxes to fund political campaigns.

Since these letters tend to differ only in what gets taxed, who gets taxed, the tax rates, and what programs the taxes would fund, below I’ll address only what’s different about this letter.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Health care for all in this nation can be obtained if the people earning more than $50,000 are willing to help the manufacturers and businesses with their costs and the poor who cannot afford health care.

“There probably was a time when the now-rich got help from their parents, friends and the nation for their success.

“The way to raise the funds for adequate health care for all is to put a small tax on the events and pleasures the rich enjoy.”

[RWC] When you read the rest of Mr. Torbic’s letter, keep in mind he apparently believes these are all activities performed only by “the rich.” It appears Mr. Torbic believes you’re rich if you make more than $50,000/year.

“Place a 1 percent tax on entertainment on all admissions priced at $5 or more. This would include movies, concerts, acting groups, single singers, comediennes and other performances. The tax would include transportation by air, rail, buses going to other states and cruises of all vessels on the high seas.”

[RWC] Why is Mr. Torbic picking on only female comedians?

“The tax would apply to prescriptions and over-the-counter medicine for individuals earning $50,000 or more. Individuals making under $50,000 would be issued a card when tax returns are filed to exempt them from the tax.”

[RWC] An entertainment tax that gets applied “to prescriptions and over-the-counter medicine?”

“A 2 percent tax is suggested for all winnings of $500 or more on legalized gambling, including lotteries. The sale of real estate properties and new and used cars and car auto parts priced at $500 or more would be subject to this tax.

“A 5 percent tax is suggested for CEOs and other officials with large retirements and with excessive yearly profits.

[RWC] I wonder what Mr. Torbic considers “excessive yearly profits.”

“These taxes would benefit manufacturers and businesses paying the cost of health care to current and retired employees. Costs would be lowered on items they manufacture.”

[RWC] With all Mr. Torbic’s new taxes, who will have any money to buy the products and services produced by “manufacturers and businesses?”

“These steps would stop jobs from going overseas for big profits and cheap labor, businesses going bankrupt, improve employment, help the United States to compete with the rest of the nations, help balance the federal budget and stop the devaluation of our falling dollar.”

[RWC] Is Mr. Torbic familiar at all with economics?