Freedom and Jobs March 27, 2014 GARY’S RETIRED! Gary: “Here’s the brief rundown on my new life. I have been contributing to my 401k account for decades and it is flush. My name has been on the lease of a rent-stabilized New York City apartment where I have lived for 29 years (the equivalent of having a paid-off mortgage in the rest of the country). The only thing stopping me from retirement was the prospect of having to buy an individual health insurance policy, which can be quite expensive for a 61-year-old male. Obamacare provided that last element in the retirement equation. My policy, purchased through New York’s state exchange, costs me a manageable $365 a month. (I had seven policies from which to choose and my primary care doctor is in the networks of three; I comparison-shopped on the New York State of Health website among those three.) There is now a 30-something in my old job. I am enjoying every day of my retirement.” ☞ So one guy gets the freedom to live the life he wants; another, younger, guy gets a job. Freedom and jobs. Seemingly, a win/win. Why are the Republicans so against this? My guess: they’re not. What the Koch brothers, et al, don’t like are the higher taxes on dividends and capital gains (on taxable income above $250,000), which — though still lower than the rates Ronald Reagan signed into law — are what allow Obamacare to offer so much more health care security while modestly lowering the deficit.