American Spectator:
  • The news on healthcare reform this week is that right off the bat, the major corporations are discovering they will be losing stunning amounts to taxes as a result of Obamacare.

    Caterpillar, the first to speak out, reported it will take a one-time write-down of $100 million in order to account for the elimination of a federal tax refund it has been receiving for providing drug benefits to its retired employees. In the following days, AT&T, Verizon, 3M, Deer & Co., and AK Steel Holdings announced they would take similar write downs. AT&T's new tax bill will come to over $1 billion. The news is a body blow to major companies hoping to recover profitability and add jobs.

    If all this sounds familiar, it should. It is exactly what Republicans predicted would happen if Obamacare became law.

    All this, however, was too much for Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He demanded that CEOs from the major companies appear before him on April 21 to explain just what's going on. "These assertions appear to conflict with independent analyses," said the chairman, "which show that the new law will expand coverage and bring down costs."


There's a simple reason for that. Congressmen don't go to jail for intentionally disseminating bogus financial statements. Corporate CEOs do. These companies are all legally obligated to report these charges right now.

More to the point, however, take note of the chilling effect on free speech here. These CEOs have done nothing more than offer a prediction, or opinion if you will, on the probable outcome of this legislation. In this case, the opinion runs counter to the opinion shared by the current congressional majority of congress.

As a result of a difference in opinion from the party in power, private citizens are now being hauled before a government body to give testimony under penalty of perjury to defend their opinion.

The intent is clear. Question your leaders at your own peril.