This past Thursday during the Senate Finance Committee markup of Obamacare, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) received a hand written note from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming that the penalty for failing to pay the $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance could include jail time. Specifically, the note read:
Sec 7023 of the code provides that if there is a willful failure to file, pay, maintain appropriate records and the like that the taxpayer may be charged with a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to $25,000 and not more than one year in jail.
One year in jail for not buying health insurance? In his 1991 classic, Parliament of Whores, P.J. O’Rourke explains what happens next:
Not paying taxes is against the law. If you don’t pay your taxes, you’ll be fined. If you don’t pay the fine, you’ll be jailed. If you try to escape from jail you’ll be shot. Thus, I – in my role as citizen and voter – am going to shoot you – in your role as taxpayer – if you don’t pay your share of the national tab.
Jailed? A little harsh isn't it? Let's sow some more fear into the populace.
Many would agree that there are politicians who should be jailed for incompetence in handling the books of this country's wealth. Oh, I forgot, everything was done by the rule of law.
Well, I guess our illustrious pols did the best they could. And, that fat lobbyist job is beckoning once they leave office.
No class envy here – just disgust.
Lying maliciously is against the law.
Defamation is against the law. Creating crisis is against the law. Charging outrageous, needless taxes is against the law…
Robbery is against the law, even when it's government.
GOVERNMENT IS NOT ABOVE THE LAW, NOR SHOULD THEY BE MAKING THE LAWS!!!!… dangerous and too dangerous…they are not leading in the best interest of the PEOPLE OF AMERICA!!!!!!
THEY ARE NOT LISTENING AND ARE ACTING ON THEIR OWN CHOICES OF STUPIDITY…
This certainly goes to show where the democrats were going with this deal of gaining access to all of your tax records. It also is a sneakey way to get increased taxes and the proof of the fact it is a tax if you can be sent to jail for failure to pay.
So for the priviledge of not participating in nationalized health care you go to jail.
Jail has free health care. Problem solved.
For those of us who have lost our jobs..and for Parents like my children who work their butts off… you are saying that for those people who cant pay our bills and are struggling from day to day it doesnt matter…Because if we dont pay for your health Insurance we will end up in Jail ….so we should live with out lights, water, and food to pay for something that the government is forcing upon us…umm well I thought we live in america and had rights…guess I was wrong
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I worked 6 days a week – 10 hours a day. On week-ends I was a "care giver" ALL week-end. At 65 I had a "stroke" & put my income down to $3,500 less a month. My "stroke" was due from being over stressed! I worked at hard labor, can't work any more or can't even pay my utility bills. What good would it do to put me in jail? The cost of keeping me in jail, I could get the health insurance that I need! We pay more taxes then any other State.