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Monthly Archives: June 2009

Taxing Health Care Benefits? Are you Crazy? Oh. Wait.

22 Monday Jun 2009

Posted by Solis R. in Uncategorized & Miscellaneous

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There is a ‘new’ debate in America at the mere suggestion that part of the national overhaul in health care might include (get ready to gasp) a new health care tax. The result of this might be that Americans would be required to pay taxes on the benefit they receive from employers on their health care benefits. Essentially, the IRS would look at a persons health care benefits as taxable income, rather than the current exempt status.

This idea is considered radical by some – welcome by others. Who would consider this a welcome idea? Taxes??

Well, there is a school that says when you tax something it reduces consumption. And, when you remove a tax it increases consumption. The by product of taxing these benefits might result in people becoming more active in the selection and take on more activist roles in demanding higher quality – and lower prices from their health care insurers. Currently, the tax exemption on these benefits may result in ending an employee’s passive approach to the benefits they receive.

Which brings me to the real point of my rant today and the use of my quote marks around the word new.

Wake up America. No. really. Come-to. Gain consciousness. Grow up.

Welcome to my world. The one I’ve been talking about for years. And let me pose this question to you. How does it feel?

I’m a proponent of this tax. If, for no other reason to provide equality and parity. Even though my current situation would result in a reduction in income with the addition of this tax, I’ve seen the inequity of being one of those who pay it, while the many of Americans do not.

What I’m talking about is another example of the two Americas class structure we live under – American Apartheid. Whereas one group of people, predominately straight – set up laws that fail to recognize another group of American’s predominately not straight. Gay people have been paying this tax for years. We’ve always paid this tax. It’s one of the fiscal inequities (there are many, many more) which serve to oppress an entire class of people in this country. Most people aren’t aware, or don’t think about this of course because they are unaffected.

But, when Rob struck out to start his own business we had to find an employer that would allow us to have both of us covered by insurance – like most families in America. In 1995, the Sacramento Bee, my employer at the time, did not offer this benefit. I sought out employers in the Sacramento area that did. One of them, was the University of California. Traditionally higher education related employers are much more progressive in this area – unless you look at an institution like the University of Texas, which in most respects is a leader in education and research but in other areas think it’s 1909 instead of 2009 – but I digress.

Once I accepted a job at the University of California, Davis – I added Rob to my benefits as a domestic partner. Aside from the hoops I had to jump through that traditional married couples are not, we were just pleased that Rob would have this. We tried for a period the route of the self-insured and found that for his little start up company – health care was eating up 50% of his operating expense budget!! What business can operate under that kind of cost structure!? (i.e. witness the current state of the auto companies).

What did come as a surprise though was the pay stub attached to my first check. What? I was surprised to see that Rob’s benefits were taxed. Not only were they taxed, they were taxed at the estimated “value” of the benefit (i.e. the amount that I paid in addition to the amount the university covered). I shrugged at the time thinking how unfair that my co-worker who sat across from me had a different tax structure than I did.

Didn’t we do similar work? Hadn’t she just met her husband like 6-months earlier, her 3rd marriage, etc. etc. (this isn’t about her after all). Where is the justice in that?

So gay people, who are in unsanctioned marriages like Rob and I, have been paying this tax all along. It usually gets no notice. The payroll representative I inquired from when I saw the stub that first time, had to research and call me back with the answer because she wasn’t aware why my tax deductions were different than my co-workers around me.

I hear the collective gasp that this proposal has initiative has caused.
I understand the trepidation of headed down this road of taxing something that for ‘most’ people was here-to-fore not taxed.
But, I just can’t quite work up a tear. Why would I. Finally – parity. Even if I wish we could achieve parity in the ‘other’ direction by providing this exemption to everyone.

But, justice, is justice.


Christopher @ Brazil in Houston
Originally uploaded by ChristopherSolis.

Christopher S.

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Summer Begins – Friendships Change

05 Friday Jun 2009

Posted by Solis R. in Uncategorized & Miscellaneous

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Eric Caruthers, Friends, Friendship, Home, Jerry, Landscape, Rob Rough, Summer, Yard


Three Amigos
Originally uploaded by ChristopherSolis.

We have a new Supreme Court Justice Nominee, Ms. Sotomayor. We have an abortion Dr. (Dr. Tiller) who was murdered last week. And, President Obama is running around the Muslim world, making nice.

Closer to home, Spring is in full bloom. Summer almost approaching. I didn’t even know the trees needed pruning. I’m oblivious to such things. Remember, I’m the one who could just as easily live in a condo. I’ve never been very invested in having to have space. The only reason I could see having any outdoor space would be for a dog – and Rob is clear, this is not in the near future. Sigh.

Thus, I could care less about the state of the trees or lawn for that matter. Are they long? Oh. I guess they are. So, let’s hire someone to come and cut them back. Oh hell – cut them down – then we’ll save future cost. But, Rob is a yard person – and so I can easily conced this space to him. The yard is his to do with what he wants.

These things are becoming less contentious all the time. He let me have complete freedom on the paint choice colors in the living room (mostly anyway) and recently he’s agreed the Master Bedroom is mine to decorate as I’d like. Wow. This is from two folks who used to argue about moving the vase a little to the left, or a little to the right.

I guess as one gets older, things like whether we have a quit or comforter on the bed, just don’t seem as important. We’re grateful that Jerry and Eric came over to lend a hand to Rob. It’s fantastic that he has friends who ‘get it’ and understand his love for the yard and things green. Things of green make me sneeze and don’t get me riled up like they do Rob. So having folks who can get as excited about such things is truly a blessing!

—–

The President has nominated Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Mom called me the other day and asked my thoughts and to be completely candid, I haven’t formed an opinion.

I have my concerns. One is that she’s been completely mum – well, with the exception of the recorded rant they keep playing in the media that some have charged as racist. But I do want to be understanding of the process and that she can’t be forthcoming on her views on things like abortion, etc. To do so would only stir up opposition so the very nature of the process requires that she be tight lipped. She is Catholic, which in my book is not necessarily an asset.

While some say we should “trust” the President – that he certainly wouldn’t nominate someone who wasn’t pro-choice. Would he?

But, my trust for all things Obama is waning. Remember, this is the evolution of candidate Obama who promised to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. He’s since backed off that. And, as California continues it’s march to falling off in to ocean, and less and less people caring – the President still carries the same stance as most moderate Republicans which is to say, he does not believe in marriage.

But, for a warm, fuzzy, we’re all in this together platform where has he been on this issue? Why didn’t he even provide an indication that he stood in solidarity with millions of us who live under American Apartheid?

When advised to judge a man by the content of his character, the character is demonstrated by action – and our President has taken none.

—-

I really don’t get involved in the abortion debate. It’s a sad, sad state of affairs that anyone would be in a position to have one. With the widespread availability of contraceptives there should be no such thing as an unwanted pregnancy. And, it is certainly not solely the woman’s responsibility. This is a shared responsibility between the two people. That being said, they do occur. And, I support a family’s right to choose such matters for themselves. Thus, I support maintaining this freedom while continue to support the use of intelligence, and planning for goodness sake.

What I don’t understand is “pro-life” people who advocate “death” for abortion providers. Some don’t see this as consistent. I am one of them. What’s been hard however is realizing, particularly in Rob’s case, how we’re different from the Midwest folks and the values they hold. I lived there for four years, and Rob of course is from there.

What things like Gay Marriage, and Abortion have brought to the surface is our incompatibility and that’s sad. How does one maintain a friendship with someone who looks down their nose at you, and says that your relationship isn’t as valid as theirs? I’d like to pose this question to Miss Manners. I’m certain she’d respond with something like “Dear Gentle Reader.. in all the decorum one can muster, one should simply look them in the eye and advise that self-fornification might be advisable”

Well, since we’re not those kind of people, we’ve agreed that it may be time to allow some of these relationships to die a natural death. Sometimes matters of distance and time can’t be overcome with a quick connection on Facebook. Or a once-every-6-months-check in whose entire content can be summed up right here .. like this.

How are you?
We are fine. You?
We are too.
Talk to you in Six Months?
Ok, take care.
Bye.

This is hardly the process by which friendships flourish. It would appear, that they can’t even be maintained.

If you love someone, let them know today. And, take more than three words if you can to do it.

Christopher S.

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Dramatic Skys

03 Wednesday Jun 2009

Posted by Solis R. in Uncategorized & Miscellaneous

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IMG_0758
Originally uploaded by ChristopherSolis.

Mom reminds me today that I need to update my blog. It’s been a little while. We were at dinner last night and looked up into the sky. The one thing that is definitely different between Texas and California is that the Texas skies are certainly dramatic when there’s a thunderstorm moving in. And, we had quite the lightening storm last night.

Rob loves it because he sits on the back porch and watches the sky. He likes to sleep with the windows open, which makes me crazy of course, because it’s still hot and muggy enough to have the air on. I hate the air on, AND the windows open. So wasteful.

Everything is going good here. I’m putting the frosting on a cake, and rob is drinking his press pot coffee. We’re laughing about the time Mom insisted she’d try it even though we tried to disuade her from it. The face she made still sticks in our mind – and makes us laugh.

That was in Mountainview, 1990. Almost 20 years ago! Wow.

Hugs from Texas.

Christopher S.

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Living the California Life in Texas

Rob and I live with our puppies Ganso and Zorra here in Austin Texas. We've been together since 1989 and enjoy spending time with family and friends. We moved to Texas from California in 2007 and it has been amazing transition from Sacramento to Austin. I hope we have an opportunity to get to see you/know you soon. Take care and be well.

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