Little-Acorn
10-22-2009, 01:04 PM
Heard an interesting thing today about what the Federal government is doing with the companies it has bailed out or otherwise heavily subsidized. Obama is now consideing cutting the pay of CEOs of bailed-out companies by some 90%. Some people say he doesn't have the authority to do that. But others reply that it's part of the deal: Only companies that receive bailout money or other such govt support, are subject to this kind of control from govt.
Well..... Do you, personally, receive substantial support from government? Do you have a mortgage that the govt has made tax-exempt? Do you get Social Security or Medicare or other such payments from the govt? Is your income low enough that you pay no Federal income taxes, and then get money from the Earned Income Tax Credit on your income tax forms?
Are you about to sign up for the "Public Option" of Obamacare, as soon as it becomes available?
If the Federal govt can reach out and dictate salary, bonus, etc. for employees in companies it has given large amounts of money to, can they later say that they can also dictate various things to YOU since they give you money too?
If not, why not?
The govt is also considering withholding govt contracts from firms who do not do what the govt wants on supposedly-unrelated issues such as arbitration of disputes. They already withhold contracts sometimes from firms that are not minority-owned, woman-owned, etc.
If they get people to sign up for a public option of Obamacare, can they later dictate to those people that they cannot have their care, or must pay more for it, if they engage in behavior government doesn't like? Skydiving? Smoking? Eating too much and getting overweight? Other things that will increase the cost of the medical care they get?
Will they start to withhold contracts from companies (large or small) whose participation in Obamacare doesn't satisfy the government? Will they some day require large companies they deal with, to not do business with subcontractors like that?
If the government makes these requirements, then what systems will they have to put in place to check on people and see if they are doing these dangerous things?
If not, again, why not?
It's nice to predict that people won't allow it, that enough people will contact their Congressmen etc. to prevent such things from happening. But the government is a past master at "gradually turning up the heat", putting distasteful programs in place little by little over a spread of years, so that people don't notice until it's all done.
What LAW prevents government from doing these things?
Well..... Do you, personally, receive substantial support from government? Do you have a mortgage that the govt has made tax-exempt? Do you get Social Security or Medicare or other such payments from the govt? Is your income low enough that you pay no Federal income taxes, and then get money from the Earned Income Tax Credit on your income tax forms?
Are you about to sign up for the "Public Option" of Obamacare, as soon as it becomes available?
If the Federal govt can reach out and dictate salary, bonus, etc. for employees in companies it has given large amounts of money to, can they later say that they can also dictate various things to YOU since they give you money too?
If not, why not?
The govt is also considering withholding govt contracts from firms who do not do what the govt wants on supposedly-unrelated issues such as arbitration of disputes. They already withhold contracts sometimes from firms that are not minority-owned, woman-owned, etc.
If they get people to sign up for a public option of Obamacare, can they later dictate to those people that they cannot have their care, or must pay more for it, if they engage in behavior government doesn't like? Skydiving? Smoking? Eating too much and getting overweight? Other things that will increase the cost of the medical care they get?
Will they start to withhold contracts from companies (large or small) whose participation in Obamacare doesn't satisfy the government? Will they some day require large companies they deal with, to not do business with subcontractors like that?
If the government makes these requirements, then what systems will they have to put in place to check on people and see if they are doing these dangerous things?
If not, again, why not?
It's nice to predict that people won't allow it, that enough people will contact their Congressmen etc. to prevent such things from happening. But the government is a past master at "gradually turning up the heat", putting distasteful programs in place little by little over a spread of years, so that people don't notice until it's all done.
What LAW prevents government from doing these things?