Health Care Reform: Job Killer?
Our nation's employees are already starting to feel the effects of Obamacare-right in the paycheck! Or so says a supposed dermatologist who claims to have fired an employee who voted for the President. Posting to the TexAgs.com message board-apparently a forum for a group of people who weren't smart enough to get into UT-someone calling himself "dermdoc" bragged about relieving an employee of his or her livelihood because of the choice they made in the 2008 presidential election. "Laid off my first Obama voting employee today," boasted the poster.
"My office manager and med business guru have calculated that this is just the beginning. Tax rates are going to go through the roof with additional Obamacare taxes AND the expiration of the Bush tax cuts," he added. "And most analysts think reimbursement rates for docs will go down about 20-25% the next 2 years, and that is BEFORE Obamacare really kicks in."
dermdoc wrote that he feels "kind of feel like the Hollywood lib directors who wouldn't give parts to conservative actors."
"The most interesting thing was seeing the reactions of other employees who came to the startling realization that their support of a guy who hurts my business could cost them their job," he wrote.
Read the full story here. Again, this is a message board posting, one made by an Aggie, no less, so it is possible that the whole thing is made up. But I'm not sure what's worse, inventing the story or actually doing what this person is claiming in real life.
Or actually doing what this person is claiming in real life and then bragging about it?
Yeah, that's what gets me. Think it maybe, do it possibly, but brag about it in public? It's like the political equivalent of a Darwin Award.
Just to be clear … not remotely endorsing this. Just trying to follow the thought process (or utter lack thereof) involved.
80%of human activity in Texas consists of acting like an asshole and then bragging about it. The other 20% (after they get called on being an asshole) consists of braying "Hey, it ain't my fault if you people got no sense of humor."
Well, sometime we just beat on people who are overly general and smug. And that doesn't make you necessarily an asshole — more like a teacher.
How smart does one have to be to get into UT?
it appears you can graduate as a knuckle dragging mouth breather, so i wouldn't think getting admitted would be too difficult.
No, no–this guy was an Aggie, not a Longhorn.
"But I'm not sure what's worse, inventing the story or actually doing what this person is claiming in real life."
…or that he doesn't even know this is illegal. Actually, this is going to be pretty awesome if it brings a lawsuit.
…and we all know how much Pimplepopping asshole doctors love lawyers!
Everytime an asshole gets its wings, an attorney is born.
How do you think this is illegal? As a related matter, do we know the state in which this occurred?
Actually, josiah may be right. I can't find anything that says Texas employers can't fire you because of your political affiliations. I thought it was a federal law, but it's state-by-state. My bad.
Sucks to be an employee in Texas.
I haven't researched it, but it may well be legal. Political affiliation certainly doesn't fall in any "protected category" slot.
That said, that never stopped lawyers from artfully crafting 14th Amendment mashups with Column A and Column B seasonings to keep this turd tied up in Court until every pimple in Central Texas dries up.
There's certainly no federal law against it, and I don't think many states have one either. NY doesn't prohibit it, as far as I can tell.
Texas is the notorious "right to work" state. i.e., you have the right to no union protection and you have the right to get shitcanned by your boss, whenever and for any reason.
@Art: Plenty of states are right-to-work, so (sadly) we can't just hate on Texas here.
…and for every attorney that comes into this world, 3 Agents of Malpractice Insurance come bearing gifts of Ruth's Chris, Cardhu and Cohibas.
-sniff- indeed, this is true. (that said, in my experience, I don't think the average conservative Texan would necessarily take that as an insult.)
To answer my own question, this would appear to be illegal at least in the District of Columbia. D.C. Human Rights Act § 2-1402.11. And we don't know that this didn't happen in D.C. (assuming it happened at all). So, cheer up!
"Business owners and the 'rich' are not going to pay for Obamacare, the middle class is. We will cut costs via layoffs and raise prices or find someway to pass on the costs ot YOU."
Or you could just, like, not buy a boat, dude.
Heh, yeah. Maybe buy the 8,000 square ft. Stucco-clad McMansion instead of the 10,000 square ft. one.
In the interest of honesty, I should add that my family has a boat and actually, it's really great.
BUT IT IS AN OLD AND NOT FANCY BOAT.
Is it the Mayflower?
The Nińa.
My family also has a boat. It seats 2 and I think my dad and I spend more time in the water/struggling to get back into it than actually sailing. On the plus side, Chesapeake Bay water has a wonderful brackish quality that really clears the sinuses.
Why doesn't he just declare bankruptcy and fire everyone? That'll show 'em!
I'm no jouralist, or DermDoc for that matter, but since when do stories start from internet message boards?
I heard that there was a guy on a message board someplace (Idaho, I think) that posted that he hated black people, but he used more derogatory language.
Seriously! I would be reeeeeeeally surprised if this story is true. Sounds like an "Internet Tough Guy/Boss" seeding false panic, and you guys are not helping by promoting this shit.
Yeah, Idahoans are TERRIBLE!!!
Crantastical, From Choire's Gerard Butler post the other day
http://www.movieline.com/2009/08/did-gerard-butler-ever-confirm-his-bisexuality-to-movieline.php
Can I start rumors here about myself that will be picked up by the main stream media? "Crantastical's last 2 ex bfs called her to apologize this weekend. It was in fact their fault. She then received a 20% raise and drank a bottle of red wine with no ensuing hangover"
If only the rumors magically came true once the mainstream media published them…*sigh*
I'm frightened by the correct spelling and almost-apt use of irony.
As if i didn't love Balk enough already, he goes and knocks A&M in favor of UT.
A guy walks into a bar and says to the bartender, "Hey bartender, I know a great Aggie joke. You want to hear it?" The bartender says, "Well, before you tell it I should probably tell you that I went to A&M. And you see those two big guys sitting next to you — they were linebackers for the A&M football team. And those two guys on your other side — they're Marines, and they used to be in the Corps of Cadets at A&M. Now, are you sure you really want to tell that Aggie joke?"
The guy thinks for a second. "I guess not," he said. "I wouldn't want to have to explain it five times."
Wait, so this guys brilliant plan to pass the taxes on to the "middle class" is to fire his employees that make him money? If he didn't need employees to make money he wouldn't have them. I guess he can try to find a replacement who agrees with him politically, but limiting your candidates also has its downsides. As for raising costs? People will just go see a doctor that didn't have to raise costs to offset their lack of management ability.