Monday, July 7, 2014

Suddenly “Employer Mandate “ is Passe

The history of our time is a history of phrases, which rise to great power and then as suddenly pass away.. suddenly the phrase disappears and is powerful no more – indeed, it is lost and forgotten and replaced by something else, very likely the exact opposite. It is terrifying.. Where, in all this is truth?

Russell Davenport, The Dignity of Man

It is amazing how the prospects of losing an election will change your phraseology and your attitudes.
Suddenly Democrats have realized that the term “employer mandate” is perceived as anti-business and may endanger their prospects in the November midterms.

Suddenly articles are popping up in the pro-Obama press suggesting that maybe the employer mandate, in view of the recent job data indicating 533,000 full-time jobs were lost and 799,000 part-time jobs, is not such a good idea when it comes to raising campaign funds from business or influencing voters to vote Democrat.

Suddenly this spring and summer, articles like these are appearing.

• Michael Hiltzak, “Should We Kill ObamaCare Mandate,” Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2014.

• Page Winfield Cunningham and Kyle Chence , “Why Liberals Are Abandoning the ObamaCare Employer Mandate, Politico, June 7, 2014

• Sandy Fitzgerald,Democrsts Abandoning ObamaCare’s Employer Mandate, Newsmax, July 6, 2014

Could this shift be because the employers mandate does not poll well?

Could it be because business refuses to contribute to Democrats as long as the mandate is in place?

Could it be because Americans prefer full-time jobs to part-time jobs?

Could it be because businesses everywhere are cutting back full-time workers to part-time to avoid ObamaCare penalties of $2000 per worker if one has over 50 full-time workers?

Regardless of the reasons for considering abandoning the employer mandate, or even the individual mandate, where penalties are lighter, it is apparent Americans do not like government mandates.

It is also apparent the IRS is going to go lightly on enforcing the penalties and collecting them. In the summer and the fall prior to November, voters thoughts turn heavily to thoughts of recrimination for a bad economy.

Finally it is apparent if the Employer and Individual Mandates and collection of revenues for them were to be chief sources of funding for ObamaCare, the law is in deep trouble . If ObamaCare has no money to support its ambitious agenda, what then? Are we thi on then on the brink of the financial unraveling of ObamaCare?

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