Another more sinister one is the requirement that everyone have a BMI or obesity rating included in their mandatory nationalized health records

Cross posted at http://milliondollarway.blogspot.com/2010/08/obamacare.html#comment-form (Is is easier for me to write up something in response to something else.)

Yup! An added 3.8% tax on investment income will tend to slow investment. Obama carefully parsed his statement to "tax on income" but it leave the opportunity for tax increases that are not strictly income taxes.

Lengthening depreciation is one ploy. When president Jimmy Carter called, just once, for something like an "working value" tax. In my case, my house is paid in full. The other day i did the math and if I bought it with a market rate 30 year mortgage the principle and interest would run me $1000 per month. That would be a significant increase in income taxes paid withoujt technically raising the income tax rate.

Another more sinister one is the requirement that everyone have a BMI or obesity rating included in their mandatory nationalized health records. Being above the BMI could conceivably be deemed a burden on the health care system so the overweight would pay a "fat surcharge" for Obamacare. Low income people are more likely to be overweight so there could be a means testing for the BMI excess surcharge. There will be some rich and fat people but mostly this will be a "fat tax" on the middle class. If more money is needed they would redefine the BMI surcharge much like the way the EPA redefines "dangerous air" as the air gets cleaner.

Part of it for investors is the uncertainty. You might recall the old land-line phone "surcharges" which were more than a third of the phone bill before I went to IP and cell phones. Those "nickel and dimes" add up.

My http://65y.com blog needs a posting so I will cross post there.