Now that they’ve ripped us off with massive corporate giveaways to the rich, Michael Waltz and Donald Trump want to sack Social Security and Medicare

The following statements by Congressman Michael Waltz are from a Republican primary debate on August 1, 2018 for Florida’s 6th Congressional district (Daytona Beach, Palm Coast, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach, etc.). Waltz is feeding his unconscionable plans directly to President Trump, who promised in 2016 never to cut Social Security and Medicare, but now says “it’s the easiest of all things” to slash.

Moderator: Alright, Mr. Waltz, this question goes to you first. The recent tax cuts supported by President Trump and the Republican Congress have no doubt helped to ignite the economy. [Thripp: Now we have seen little wage growth but huge corporate profits, so this is debatable at best.]

Michael Waltz: You said tax cuts, Pat?

Moderator: Yes. And who doesn’t like a tax cut, right? We all like tax cuts. [Applause] But, but, those tax cuts came without any corresponding spending cuts. That means the deficit is rising significantly. Projected to be about $800 and something billion dollars this year. It’s now going up more rapidly than it did during the last years of the Obama presidency according to, that’s according to the Congressional Budget Office. So, my question is this: What spending cuts would you make to offset that budget deficit, and how much, tell me how much those cuts would save taxpayers?

Michael Waltz: Well again, it’s my own experience with my own business trying to build it as an entrepreneur. Uhh, you know, most of that time was under the Obama administration. Uhh, we couldn’t get a loan because Sarbanes–Oxley [Thripp: Being unable to comply with this post-Enron law is not really something to be proud of], I already talked about the burden of Obamacare. Overtaxed, over regulated. As soon as President Trump came in and got the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, and that’s an important component—Tax Cut and Jobs Act passed, we put that new rate in and hired 6 more people. Our economy is on fire. 4.1% GDP, the lowest minority, uhh, unemployment in American history, and I plan to get up to D.C. to continue that. I would not have signed, uhh I would not—excuse me, I would not have voted for the omnibus, that added $1.3 trillion in debt. Our debt is our biggest, I think, one of our biggest national security issues. It is a burden on our future generation, our kids and our grandkids, and we have to get a hold of it. The way to get a hold of it, and, and, this is what we’re gonna have to do, we’re gonna have to go after the non-discretionary portion: The entitlement reform portion. We’re nibbling around the edges with all of these other cuts. That’s the part that we have to go over. We need politicians that get up there and have the guts to go after it. It’s one of the reasons I’m on the record for term limits. It’s that you get in there, you get stuff done, and you get back to the real world. That’s what our founding fathers intended.

Moderator: Just to, uhh, clarify one thing though: If we go after entitlements, what does that amount to? Uhh, if you cut, let’s say, and what are those entitlements? Is Social Security an entitlement?

Michael Waltz: Yeah. [Dissent from audience]

Moderator: Or, is Medicare an entitlement? What entitlements, and how much would that bring in—how much would that save?

Michael Waltz: Well it’s, umm I mean it’s, you know, I don’t necessarily have the numbers in front of me, but it’s by far—it’s 70% of our budget. So figure out 70% of our $6 trillion budget. [Thripp: It’s 50% of a $4 trillion federal budget. If you count interest on the national debt you are close to 70%, but Waltz wasn’t proposing defaulting on interest payments.] Pat, you’re better at math than I am. But, umm, that’s [Social Security and Medicare] the part that we have to have the guts to go after, and as soon as any Republican says that, we see the ads start flying from the left. And you know, look, the policies are in place to do that. Simpson–Bowles and others have put forward real recommendations, but the political will is lacking, and I think we need a new generation to get up there and say “enough—I’m not going to pass this debt on to my kids.” But, very quickly, who’s the biggest holder of our debt? The Chinese. By far. [Thripp: No, not by far. Not even true. Japan owns more debt than China.] So we have a massive trade, uhh, deficit. That money’s going over to China, they’re buying our debt with it, and we have this vicious loop that we have to get out of.


Watch this recent interview with President Donald Trump where he says that Social Security and Medicare are the easiest things to cut, and he will be going after them soon.

JOE KERNEN: Do I dare? One last question: Entitlements ever be on your plate?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: At some point they will be. We have tremendous growth. We’re going to have tremendous growth. This next year I—it’ll be toward the end of the year. The growth is going to be incredible. And at the right time, we will take a look at that. You know, that’s actually the easiest of all things, if you look, cause it’s such a big percentage.

JOE KERNEN: If you’re willing to do some of the things that you said you wouldn’t do in the past, though, in terms of Medicare–

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, we’re gonna– we’re gonna look.


Summary by Richard Thripp: The U.S. government itself has determined that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was a massive giveaway of money to the rich and corporate welfare to big businesses. Mr. Waltz supports slashing your Social Security and Medicare to pay for it. We CANNOT elect Mr. Waltz or Mr. Trump to a second term. I, Richard Thripp, am running for Waltz’s seat as a progressive Democrat who will not cut Social Security and Medicare. Social Security can be fully funded ad infinitum by raising or eliminating the cap on wages it applies to, instead of its present form as a regressive tax that taxes high earners at lower percentages than the middle class.

And finally, some words of wisdom from Michael Waltz in 2016. At that time, he was against Trump but totally flip-flopped to become a Trump sycophant in his 2018 campaign and in his actions in Congress.

Michael Waltz: “Don’t let Trump fool you. Look into his real record, and stop Trump now.

Watch the above video from the start to see Michael Waltz also say about Donald Trump: “He essentially called anyone who is captured in combat a loser. It’s something that I personally can’t stomach.

Trump and Waltz are partners in constant lying and hypocrisy and we must vote them out of office.

Northeast Volusia Democratic Photo and Recent Tweets on Corporate Welfare, Medicaid Restrictions, and Climate Crisis

Richard Thripp, Paul, and Clint Curtis at recent meeting

Great meeting at the Northeast Volusia Democratic Club last night (January 23, 2020). I gave a good speech but forgot to have it filmed. 😐 Next time. Pictured here from left to right: Richard Thripp (me), Paul, an environmental advocate, and my opponent in the Democratic primary for Florida’s 6th Congressional district, Clint Curtis.

Here are several of my recent tweets against corporate welfare, Medicaid restrictions in Florida, and denial of the climate crisis:

Now thanks to tax cuts and giveaways to the rich and massive military spending, Trump is putting Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block, restricting access to ACA subsidies, SNAP, and more. Remember he promised a balanced budget… But no one remembers now.

This latest move shows that Republicans are not pro-life at all. We can’t let adults who qualify receive Medicaid unless they apply in the same month when we could offer 90 days retroactivity? They might not be conscious or able within the same calendar month leading to crushing debt.

Remember that without health insurance you get billed the HIGHEST rates. An air ambulance could get billed to Medicaid/Medicare or health insurance at a negotiated rate of $6,000 but they will send an uninsured person a $50,000 bill. Medical debt causes MANY bankruptcies.

Those who say the Green New Deal is radical and impossible should take note: The situation we have now is SUICIDE. Radical planet-wide reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gases as well as sequestration should have begun at least 30 years ago! Many have & will suffer and die.

First Donation Received

I just received my first campaign contribution of $25 from someone in DeLand. Thank you! All donors will get a personal email or phone call if they would prefer.

Update on 1/23/2020: My campaign received two more contributions and is now up to $80. Thank you all! This will snowball. When you speak to real issues, people are excited and want to be politically involved.

Donate to Richard Thripp's Campaign

Daytona Beach News-Journal Article About My Candidacy, January 21, 2020

The Daytona Beach News-Journal has released a January 21, 2020 article online about my candidacy: Michael Waltz has Orange City opponent in race for U.S. House seat

Check it out! A very nice article. See also my Ballotpedia survey for more.

This also appears in the Thursday, January 22, 2020 print edition of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, in the Local section on Page D3. The newspaper is available at many supermarkets and costs $2.00 to purchase. You can also see it at your local library.

Photo of DBNJ Print Story

The hecklers and angry commentators are already in force in the comments section to the News-Journal’s Facebook post on their article. There is also this tweet that you can re-tweet on Twitter.

7 Obamacare Secrets for Residents of Florida’s 6th Congressional District and 2 Campaign Promises

Here are 7 facts about The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as it is colloquially known, that you may not have heard of. As your Congressman, I will support education, outreach, and expansion of Obamacare as well as state expansion of Medicaid in Florida and 13 other states who have still refused to accept a federally funded expansion allowing households with income of up to 138% of the federal poverty line to receive Medicaid.

DISCLAIMER: This article does not, and is not intended to, provide legal, tax or accounting advice, and readers should consult their tax advisors concerning the application of tax laws to their particular situations.

1. Obamacare is still functioning, despite rumors to the contrary.

Even without the individual mandate that previously would penalize you on your federal income tax return for not having insurance, Obamacare hasn’t gone away, as codified in United States Code, Title 42: The Public Health and Welfare, Chapter 157: Quality, Affordable Health Care for All Americans. You can still sign up on HealthCare.gov and large federal subsidies are still offered. About 25% of Americans erroneously believe Obamacare was repealed in 2018, and the vast majority do not know basic facts about it, despite the Trump administration’s baseless claim that their recent 90% cut to educational/outreach efforts is warranted due to everyone knowing about Obamacare now (completely false!).

2. You may be able to enroll at any time of the year.

Although the “open enrollment” period is now quite short: November 1 to December 15, you can actually enroll at any time of the year if you qualify for a “special enrollment period.” The criteria are quite broad, and include:

• Got married in past 60 days
• Had a baby, adopted, or placed a child in foster care in past 60 days
• Got divorced or legally separated and consequently lost health insurance in past 60 days
• Someone on your plan died causing you to become ineligible in past 60 days
• You moved between counties or ZIP codes or for work or school and had qualifying coverage for at least 1 of 60 days prior to the move
• You became a U.S. citizen in past 60 days
• You left jail or prison in past 60 days
• You began or ended service in an AmeriCorps program
• Anyone in your household lost qualifying coverage in the past 60 days or expects to lose it in the next 60 days
• You became a member of a federally recognized Native American tribe
• On occasion, victims of natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico are declared eligible for a special enrollment period
• You filed an amended IRS tax return (Form 1040-X on paper by mail) to update a prior tax return to add Form 8962 due to failure to reconcile subsidies reported on Form 1095-A, 1095-B, or 1095-C

3. Your job cannot offer “good” health insurance.

In order to receive a federal subsidy for Obamacare, your employer must NOT offer insurance that is “quality” and “affordable.” Many employers do not offer any health insurance to part-time employees, which means you are eligible for an Obamacare subsidy if you meet the other criteria such as being ineligible for Medicaid, Medicare, VA healthcare, and so forth. If health insurance is offered to you as an employee, it must:

1. Meet the actuarial bronze level of quality (“minimum value standard”), meaning it “pays at least 60% of the total cost of medical services for a standard population and offers substantial coverage of hospital and doctor services.”

2. Be “affordable,” meaning that the lowest bronze plan for YOU only (not including your family) from your employer costs LESS than 9.78% (in premiums paid by you via payroll deductions) of your entire HOUSEHOLD’s income.

If BOTH of the above two criteria are met by your employer health insurance plan, you are NOT eligible for a federal Obamacare subsidy (i.e., Premium Tax Credit). If both of the above criteria are met, you ARE generally eligible if your household income is between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty line and you are ineligible for Medicaid or other coverage. The rationale is that taxpayers should just pay for the genuinely needy, so if you have a good employer plan available you should not be allowed to receive a subsidy.

4. The Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC) may mean your cost is absolutely zero.

Even though premiums keep going up, up, and away year after year, so does the premium subsidy—that is, the amount you can receive from the federal government as a free grant toward your health insurance. Basically, as long as your income is above 100% and under 400% of the federal poverty line (FPL) you can receive a sizable subsidy—often $1,500 per month or even more for a family. For a family of 3 in 2020, that means your household must earn between $21,720 and $86,880. You have to fill out an application on HealthCare.gov and guesstimate your household income for the tax year you are applying for (that is, you must guess what you will earn in all of 2020). The subsidy remains quite large up to 400% of the FPL and then falls off a cliff to exactly $0 per month above this income level. If your chosen plan is cheaper than your maximum monthly subsidy, you own nothing per month as the money is paid directly from the U.S. Treasury to your health insurance company via what is called an Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC).

On your tax return you must reconcile premiums and tax credits based on Form 1095 that you receive from your insurance company using IRS Form 8962, which is included in all major tax software such as TurboTax. If you underestimate your income you may be required to pay back a maximum of $1,300 of subsidies received during the year if your household income is under 400% of the FPL, or the entirety of all subsidies received if it is above 400%.

The Trump administration is making it harder for people with volatile incomes (e.g., gig economy) to receive the APTC due to requiring documented proof of income, and they are discouraging a practice of overestimating one’s projected income at 100% of the FPL for those living in poverty (below 100% of FPL) in order to receive the APTC in a state that has rejected Medicaid expansion in order to cut costs, as well as failing to educate Americans—an estimated 10 million are eligible for Obamacare subsidies but not taking advantage.

In Florida’s 6th Congressional district, some of the major insurers offering plans on HealthCare.gov are Florida Health Care Plans, Florida Blue (BlueCross BlueShield FL), and Oscar Insurance Company of Florida. You apply and enroll on HealthCare.gov and then you’ll receive your plan information, insurance ID cards, payment instructions (if you are not fully funded by the APTC), and log-in instructions for the insurer’s website later, typically by U.S. Mail.

5. If you are a big saver, you can manipulate your income using retirement accounts to stay under 400% of the FPL and qualify for a subsidy.

To receive an Obamacare subsidy, besides being ineligible for other insurance such as Medicaid or an employer plan, your household income must also fall between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty line (FPL). For a family of 3 in 2020, that means your household must earn between $21,720 and $86,880 (modified adjusted gross income including wages, interest, dividends, capital gains, etc.).

Earning over $86,880 would be particularly unfortunate for an APTC-receiving household of 3 as they would have to pay back ALL subsidies received, which could easily be over $10,000 in a year. However, if you happen to be a big saver, like many followers of Mr. Money Mustache, you can put up to $19,500 in your employer’s 401(k) or 403(b) plan via payroll deductions per person in 2020 (and your spouse can do this too). Contributions must be “traditional” or “pre-tax,” NOT Roth or “tax-exempt” or “post-tax.” Pre-tax contributions reduce your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) reported to the IRS, which can qualify you for Obamacare subsidies if your household income goes down.

Even if you didn’t receive an APTC, you can get the money back as a tax refund during the following year (as a “regular” PTC or Premium Tax Credit). Note that many tax-filing software programs do NOT correctly handle a situation where a taxpayer is receiving their subsidy as an IRS refund.

Beyond this, you can put money in a pre-tax (traditional) individual retirement arrangement or IRA to reduce your MAGI and qualify for Obamacare. The limits are $6,000 per person, so that’s up to $12,000 between you and your spouse if married, and a non-working spouse qualifies to contribute as long as you are married filing jointly (MJF).

Note that for those Age 50 and older, the limits are higher: $7,000 for IRA and $26,000 for 401(k) or 403(b) in 2020. This is a great way to reduce your income if you have a high savings rate, and you can invest your retirement money in stocks or bonds so it can grow until you are eligible to make withdrawals at Age 59.5 or older. For IRAs, you can even contribute up to the tax filing deadline of the subsequent year, which is April 15, 2020 for contributions designated to 2019, or April 15, 2021 for contributions designated to 2020. Make sure to check if you are eligible for the IRS Retirement Savings Contributions Credit via Form 8880 due to your retirement contributions.

If you designate a traditional IRA contribution for the prior tax year after having already filed your tax return, you can still get your Obamacare subsidies restored if this contribution puts you below 400% of the FPL, and get your Saver’s credit if eligible, but it won’t be easy: you must file an amended IRS tax return on paper by mail using Form 1040-X and it will be manually processed by an IRS agent and can take up to 16 weeks. You can do this for up to 3 years after the initial filing (e.g, up to March 14, 2023 if you file for 2019 on March 14, 2020). The U.S. Treasury will end up issuing you a check, with interest, for the additional amount owed from the government to you due to your amended return.

6. Florida has a Medicaid–Obamacare coverage gap.

Florida’s Rick Scott, who made off with $300 million from Columbia/HCA from defrauding Medicare (the company admitted to 14 felonies) and used it to become governor, then REFUSED to accept federal Medicaid dollars that would help over 800,000 low-income Floridians and would most likely actually save money for the state.

Because of Republican refusal to accept a federally funded expansion of Medicaid authorized under the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare), Florida has a Medicaid–Obamacare coverage gap. This means that there is a hole in between where many Floridians are ineligible for Medicaid due to making too much money (the limits are very low) and ineligible for Obamacare due to making too little money. Many adults are required to earn less than 29% of the FPL to receive Medicaid in Florida, which is only $6,299 for a family of 3, but can’t receive an Obamacare subsidy unless they earn 100% or more of the FPL, which is $21,720. Therefore, families, such as families of 3 who earn between $6,299 and $21,720 in 2020, are in the coverage gap being ineligible for both Medicaid and Obamacare subsidies. Families with small children may still be eligible for Medicaid, but “able-bodied adults” receive the worst treatment under this regime.

7. Be prepared with proof of immigration status or citizenship.

Under the Trump administration there has been a push to disqualify recipients of Obamacare subsidies who cannot prove their immigration or citizenship status. You may receive a digital or U.S. Mail notice from the HealthCare.gov marketplace requesting a copy of your passport or other documents, and they will cancel your subsidy payments if you do not comply by uploading digital files or mailing in photocopies. This can happen even if they should already know you are a citizen based on documents you submitted in a prior year or based on other information available to the government. Make sure to watch your mail closely, or preferably, sign up for emails and digital alerts to avoid the possibility of such notices being lost in the mail.

Two Campaign Promises

If I am elected to the United States House of Representatives for Florida’s 6th Congressional district, I’m going to make expanding Medicaid and Obamacare a priority, but I’m also going to make it a priority to help constituents get educated and enrolled. As long as it’s still functioning, we’ll be signing up constituents for Obamacare left and right*, or helping them understand the program and their plan. (I will comply fully with the Privacy Act of 1974 which requires written consent from constituents in order to assist.)

Note: On February 21, 2020 I endorsed universal healthcare for all Americans (Medicare for All). However, I will fight for whatever I can get accomplished as your Congressman. We need to aim high, in my opinion.

To facilitate access to my staff and I for minorities and disadvantaged populations, I will open a constituent office in mid-town Daytona Beach and possibly Deltona as well, or alternately a traveling mobile office as it can be hard to find office space in Deltona. I will also hire at least one Spanish-speaking staffer.

Using my knowledge from my Ph.D. in instructional design, I will design training materials for my employees and the public to help with Obamacare. The incumbent, Republican Michael Waltz, has an office at Port Orange City Hall, but I think mid-town Daytona Beach is a far more underserved area and many Port Orange residents have motor vehicles. Waltz’s website does not even mention helping people with Obamacare, possibly due to the GOP’s whole “down-with-Obamacare” shtick.

* As of present I have not verified the legality of this but it is clear that Congressional representatives can and do help constituents deal with federal agencies.

Congressional representatives receive a budget from the U.S. Treasury of approximately $1.3 million per year to rent offices and employ staff to help with Congressional work and constituent services.

DISCLAIMER: This article does not, and is not intended to, provide legal, tax or accounting advice, and readers should consult their tax advisors concerning the application of tax laws to their particular situations.

I need your help. Please donate if you want to see real change for Florida’s 6th district in Congress.

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