Categorical Aperitif

Lo siento por la sadly typical blog hiatus; 'twas a busy few weeks. I hope to be back in the next few days with some fresh posts—and maybe some State of the Union Random Flickr Blogging. Meanwhile, after spewing coffee all over my screen upon reading this (via Media Matters), I just had to share a barbaric yawp with the world (emphasis mine):

President Bush will propose a deep tax break for Americans who purchase their own medical insurance and would finance it with an unprecedented tax on a portion of high-priced health-care plans that workers receive from their employers, according to the White House.

[....]

Administration officials familiar with the plan say it reflects the new political order in Washington, where Democrats now control both chambers of Congress. They refuse to characterize the plan as a tax increase because it raises no new money for the federal government. Instead, it would add a new tax on employer-provided health-care plans worth more than $15,000 to subsidize those who buy modestly priced plans out of their pockets.

Whoa! Did I read that correctly? It's a government initiative that takes money from some (more fortunate) people and uses it to help other (less fortunate) people—but it's not a tax increase because the money doesn't go to the federal government, except in an only-passing-through sort of way?

Democrats! Your path is clear! It's time to roll back those ridiculous Bush upper-bracket tax cuts (passed in a time of war and national crisis no less, tsk tsk). Remember: as long as the money only goes through the federal government, it's not a tax increase! Use it on national health care, use it to improve public education, use it to build a fairer economy, use it on alternative energy development, I don't care. The Chimp Administration itself just said that it's not a tax increase if the government doesn't keep the money, so be not afraid to advocate what the plutocrat-lovers sneeringly call "redistributive taxation": they can't call it taxation as long as the money only goes through, and not to, the federal government.

In their typically oily, weaselish way, they've offered up a euphemistic redefinition to justify a pathetic quarter-measure intended to suggest that they're sort of, kind of, oh-so-belatedly going to actually do something about the national health care crisis. Let's shove that euphemism right down their throats.