Lamar Smith: “The American Chamber of Commerce recently polled its members on the various health care plans. They asked their members…”

“The American Chamber of Commerce recently polled its members on the various health care plans. They asked their members about a Government-run health care plan, like the one proposed by President Clinton, one that would be paid for by more taxes on individuals, one that would be paid for with more taxes on businesses. What did the Chamber members say? They resoundingly rejected the plan 87 percent to just 8 percent. The people who know business best, the people who know what taxes mean to the economy, said ``no'' in a landslide. The people who know, said ``no,'' for a basic reason: employer mandates mean lost employee jobs. In fact, over 1 million jobs are projected to be lost if the Clinton health plan passes. The free lunch theory that only employers pay employer mandates is pure fantasy. The truth is everyone pays employer mandates. The employer pays on the balance sheet, the employee pays at the closed factory gate, and the consumer pays at the ringing cash register. With the Clinton health care plan, everyone will pay and pay and pay.”