Many say ObamaCare won’t work, but a new report says that thanks to the law, neither will many of us.
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report put together by the government’s nonpartisan number-crunchers estimates that ObamaCare will lead to a net reduction in the workforce of 2.5 million workers.
Worse still, the report says it will disincentivize working more hours and earning more money.
Under ObamaCare, if a family of four is earning below approximately $95,000 without employer health care, it’ll receive subsidies.
But if that same family’s wage-earners picked up some more hours that put them over the income threshold, it will cost them approximately 15 percent of what they make. The more you make, the more you lose.
Why is there a cost for effort and success? What’s worse is that it essentially glues the lowest wage earners to those rungs, because the incentives are so big at the lowest level that it is unaffordable to work more.
As a kid I was always taught that the only place success comes before work was in the dictionary. This was instilled at the kitchen table and reinforced by my grandparents.
One of my grandfathers was a fruit vendor — a grueling job. But he worked hard, and he relished it.
It seems that most find happiness in working hard and achieving goals. It’s a confidence-builder, a self-esteem enhancer, reminding oneself that no matter what comes your way, if you work hard at it you have a great chance to succeed.
Google, Apple, McDonald’s and Home Depot weren’t built with ease; they were built with energy — human energy. American energy.
Hard work is the American story, and having the opportunity to work hard is at the root of the American Dream.
So what kind of message does punishing hard work send?
One thing is certain: The words of that message could serve as the eulogy at the funeral of the American Dream, on its deathbed after a long, happy life of nearly 250 years.