Beyond Labels

A 360° Discussion of Foreign, National and Local Policy Issues

For Monday, July 30: Healthcare

Tomorrow’s topic will be healthcare in America–again.

Many Beyond Labels attendees appear to support “Medicare for All” in Maine or across the U.S. Is this the answer to our healthcare issues? Does Medicare “work?” Is it financially sustainable as configured, or is it a transfer of wealth from future generations to current Medicare beneficiaries? We’ve discussed this topic many times in the past, bot as the formal topic and informally in conjunction with other topics.

REMINDER: We meet in the Bass Room tomorrow.

Notes: 7/23/2018: The proper role of government

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

This is the purpose of the Constitution, not the Federal government.

From here

General Welfare Clause

Exit taxes when renouncing US Citizenship: taxes are due if:

  • Your average annual net income tax liability for the past five years, preceding the renunciation is more than $162,000
  • Your net worth is $2 million or more on the date of your expatriation
  • You failed to certify that you have complied with all of your federal tax obligations for the past five years preceding the expatriation

https://1040abroad.com/faq/renouncing-u-s-citizenship/

Freedom Index from Cato

 

 

https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=4049

 

 

http://www.governing.com/gov-institute/funkhouser/gov-government-purpose-capitalism.html

Diversity in Canada

 

For Jul 23: The Proper Role of Government

We’ll explore what “services” should properly be provided by government and which should be provided elsewhere—by the private sector, by charitable organizations, by individual households.

Most important to the “what” will, of course, be the “why” (this and not that)and “how” (to deliver it—to whom, and to pay for it.

We should also consider, within “government” how it’s role should be divided between Federal, State, County and Town governments.

Here’s an op-ed from today’s Post that I think provides some relative context to the discussion—though it’s not strictly on-topic.