I have a slight correction to your post anne…and Edwards should know this before he says it…

He uses the example of firefighter couples who make around 100,000 a year so he wants to protect them from tax increases, right?  SS tax is based on each individual salary…what they make as a couple is irrelevant.  So his donut hole will do nothing for the firefighter couple.

All that said, if there's going to be any exceptions made, why not make the first 20,000 SS tax free and tax everyone over that at the same rate?  That would protect all the young people (students, young starting couples, etc), the really poor folks.  Seems a lot more fair to me, but then I can only dream about making 97,000 a year! ;0

Thanks for letting me butt in.  I enjoy your blog!

Issuing licenses to such drivers makes it easier for them to obtain insurance, lowers auto insurance costs for others, and increases public safety (since to obtain a driver's license, people have to take a course and learn the rules of the road).

It is important to note that the type of driver's license that NY proposed to issue to illegal immigrants (the source of this subject in the Democratic debates) could not have been be used to obtain other types of ID, to open bank accounts, or for any other purpose requiring a federally approved ID. In fact, the NY proposal (which has now been abandoned, thanks to the uninformed uproar arising from the Dem debate question on this subject) was described as “a major step forward for security, both for New York and for the country” — by Michael Chertoff, the current U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.

As far as Hillary's so called health care reform, it makes one wonder if she's capable or willing to use government for the people's betterment. How can her plan (and Edwards's) mandate/force someone to continue paying into the for-profit-insurance-scam-system. What about fighting for human dignity and a basic human right in an advanced, civilised(?) society. Why do Americans settle for mediocrity? 

The best plan is obviously Kucinich's “Medicare-for-all”, which should include all veterans, elected representatives, and other public sector plans in one big mix with everyone else.

Unfortunately, Hillary is lacking the VISION-THING, desperately needed after the Bush nightmare. It's not good enough to slide on by anymore with superficial pronouncements and the lowest possible denominator. Please challenge us!!

I do have some difference with some of our colleagues who I've heard talk about this. I think we have to be very careful to protect the middle class, so, specifically — if I can be very specific — what I would do as president is I would create a protective zone between 97,000 (dollars) up to around 200,000 (dollars) because there are a lot of firefighter couples, for example, that make $100(,000), $115,000 a year. We don't want to raise taxes on them. But I do believe that people who make $50 (million), $75 (million), $100 million a year ought to be paying Social Security taxes on that income.

http://www.nytimes.c…

I do have some difference with some of our colleagues who I've heard talk about this. I think we have to be very careful to protect the middle class, so, specifically — if I can be very specific — what I would do as president is I would create a protective zone between 97,000 (dollars) up to around 200,000 (dollars) because there are a lot of firefighter couples, for example, that make $100(,000), $115,000 a year. We don't want to raise taxes on them. But I do believe that people who make $50 (million), $75 (million), $100 million a year ought to be paying Social Security taxes on that income.

http://www.nytimes.c…

What a great idea. So of course, no candidate will go there anymore just like the republicans won't go on tavis smiley and the dems won't go on fox.