The Next Phase of Wealth Redistribution: Obamacard (with a ‘d’)

            (Note: this is sarcasm.)

Obamacard is the next logical phase of the far left’s grand plan to fully socialize our society.

Here is how it works.  Every year, after you file your income tax return, the government sends you your Obamacard.  The Obamacard is a required to purchase anything in the United States.  Each card will be set with a “Discount Rate” that will be applied to all purchases made by the bearer of the Obamacard.   Here are an example of possible discount rates:

·        If your income tax return shows that you are living at or below the poverty line, you will get an 80% discount on everything you purchase.  That means that your purchasing power is increased by a factor of five.  You can purchase $50 of goods and/or services for $10.

·        If your income is 400% of the poverty line, you will get a 20% discount.  That means that you can purchase $50 of goods and services for $40.

·        For those between 100 and 400% of the poverty line, your discount will be graduated along a sliding scale. 

·        If you are between 401 and 799% of the poverty line, your discount is zero.  You pay full retail price. 

·        If you earn 800% of the poverty line you will have a negative discount rate of 20% (you pay 120% of full retail price).   That means that to purchase $50 worth of goods and services, you will pay $60.

·        If you are above 2,000% of the poverty line you have negative discount rate of 300% (you pay four times the full retail value).  To purchase $50 of goods and services, you will pay $200.

·        For those between 800 and 2,000% of the poverty line, your negative discount will be graduated.

·        Note:  A more preferred method would be to only issue cards with positive discount rates and let the seller of goods and/or services determine the required mark-up to include in their base price so that their overall profit margins remain the same (as the health insurance companies determine the rates to charge on the Healthcare.gov website).  If this method is chosen, we would need to tax everyone making over 800% of the poverty level a federal sales tax of 5%.  This tax revenue would be available to sellers with more low-income customers than they had planned for in their base price calculation (similar to the reinsurance tax of Obamacare).

The extra costs paid by the high earners will be used to pay for the discounts received by the needy.  Every American should be excited to use their new Obamacard.  The card will end poverty in America without having to pay taxes.  Finally, we have a means to redistribute wealth without taxing the rich.

Obamacard is a fine demonstration of America’s ingenuity.  For too long, we have been following the lead of Western Europe on how to socialize America.  Now, through true American ingenuity, we have developed a new method to redistribute wealth without government imposing new taxes.  In fact, the redistribution of wealth is purely voluntary.  If you are one of those individuals with a negative discount rate, you do not have to purchase anything.  It is your choice to buy things.  And, if you choose to buy things, you are voluntarily subsidizing those that receive a positive discount.

Can it pass in Congress?  It does not need to.  It can be argued that everything we purchase has an impact on our health.  Therefore, Secretary Sebelius can issue regulations under the Obamacare law (the Affordable Care Act) to require the implementation of this new Obamacard plan.  In fact, the principles of Obamacard are identical to Obamacare.  So it is truly just an extension of the Obamacare law.

Uh oh: what if there is an individual mandate that requires you to purchase something.   Darn; it seemed so perfect at first.

Now start humming the Twilight Zone tune (do-do, do-do, do-do, d0-do………)