I did a little work on Bernie's tax plan. Here are some conclusions and thoughts.
1. If you are making up to 200k, your tax rates will be exactly the same as today. 1/
bernietax.com/#0;0;s
1. If you are making up to 200k, your tax rates will be exactly the same as today. 1/
bernietax.com/#0;0;s
2. Big difference, now you pay thousands for a health plan that is offering next to nothing for most of us. Under Bernie's taxation, you will have full health coverage incl dental and eyes, with a possible copay of up to $50 and that's it. So, if you're making up to 200k, 2/
you will be saving 1000s every year on insurance premiums and you will actually HAVE health coverage from the first visit to a doctor with no deductible. 3/
3. Things get interesting if you're making over 500k (42% rate) or over $10million (52%).
4. Even then, since this is a marginal tax, someone would pay 42% on the portion of their income that is above 500k and not on the whole. 4/
4. Even then, since this is a marginal tax, someone would pay 42% on the portion of their income that is above 500k and not on the whole. 4/
5. Arguably, the miracle of the American Dream and the middle class didnt happen by accident. It happened through appropriate taxation, in a period of much better economic equality than today. 5/
When Trump praises the great, beautiful 50s, he forgets to mention that the top marginal tax rate in most years of the 50s and 60s was 91%. In the 70s the highest tax margin was 70%. 6/
During that period, a USPS worker was able to buy a house and pay it off, send two children to college without college debt, own cars for all family and an RV, have pretty decent health coverage, retire well-off and travel the world in their retirement. 7/
Today a USPS worker may never be able to buy a house, start a family or deal with the finances of a heart attack.
What happened? In 1981, Reagan significantly reduced the maximum tax rate, which affected the highest income earners, 8/
What happened? In 1981, Reagan significantly reduced the maximum tax rate, which affected the highest income earners, 8/
and lowered the top marginal tax rate from 70% to 50%; in 1986 he further reduced the rate to 28%. Arguably, that skyrocketed the top 1% and stagnated and eventually destroyed the middle class and the American Dream. 9/ 
Conclusion: Bernie's tax plan may be presented as extreme (yell: Venezuela) by all the MSM, which coincidentally are owned by billionaires. But at 52% maximum for wealth over $10million, is actually a Regan era taxation, 10/
nowhere close to the highest taxes implemented in the US in previous decades. Source: currydemocrats.org/american-pie/
6. How is free health care for all going to be paid?
A. Taking out the insurance corporations that eat up billions for parasitizing. Why would you need middlemen if you don't try to deny or restrict peoples' health services? 12/
A. Taking out the insurance corporations that eat up billions for parasitizing. Why would you need middlemen if you don't try to deny or restrict peoples' health services? 12/
You have a medical need, you go to the doctor or clinic of your choice. Period.
B. By controlling drug prices. Currently there is a law that prohibits Medicare from negotiating drug prices with the pharma industry. 13/
B. By controlling drug prices. Currently there is a law that prohibits Medicare from negotiating drug prices with the pharma industry. 13/
US pharma corporations charge Americans 10 times more for insulin than they charge Canadians for the same drug. Canada is a capitalist country too, but the government regulates drug prices, as in all other industrial countries. 14/
Currently, millions of Americans cannot afford drugs and health services and an unknown number die because of that every year. 15/
C. Millionaires paying more taxes. 16/
Argument: The US health system maybe more expensive but it provides the best quality of health in the world. If we turn it to a government ran program, the quality will go right next to Venezuela's. Actually, no. Compared with other rich countries, 17/
the US ranks at or near the bottom on life expectancy, infant mortality, adolescent pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, drug-related mortality, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease and arthritis. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK15446… 18/
On the much feared longer waiting times. Initial thought: Same amount of doctors and staff, same amount of clinics, no time lost with insurance corporations. Why would there be any extra waiting times? 19/
Then I thought of the tens of millions that cannot afford health services so they don't visit doctors and clinics as much or not at all. ALL those people will have to be served too. 20/
Understandably, the current health system which is practically elitist will not be able to cover the need. There will need to be tens of thousands more jobs created, more infrastructure built (that also creates jobs). 21/
This should be the answer to those worrying what will happen to the insurance corporations employees. There would be more jobs created to provide actual health care than those that currently exist to refuse people of that care. 22/
All this rebuilding will take time and there will be inconvenience. Among whom though? If you haven't had the ability to have that surgery or even that tooth extraction because you couldn't afford it, now you would have that option, but maybe not immediately. 23/
Those that could afford any service will have to compete for service with the millions that were deprived of it. 24/
I guess, till the system expands to be able to serve everyone timely, peoples' needs would be prioritized according to urgency and gravity and not anymore according to how rich you are. /25_
This is how and when the insurance corporations were placed in the middle, making profit from denying health care:
Twitter cuts off the title of this graph so I should subtitle it: How the rich get richer in the US vs the world
REVISION: While this thread is taking off, I felt the obligation to do better work on my points. Although well intended, some of them are inaccurate. I am preparing another thread with findings. As I progress: IMO, Bernie's plan stands as a big YES! Links to come
