Tony Zirkle for Congress
About Tony
- 2006-02-21-Tony Zirkle for Congress
- 2008-02-10-Zirkle Proposes Abortion Reform
- 2008-02-12-Zirkle Comments on Luke Puckett's Announcement
- 2008-02-27-Zirkle on FISA and the Exclusionary Rule
- 2008-04-11-Zirkle Answers S.B. Tribune Questions
- 2008-04-11-Tony Zirkle Answers Questionnaire from Michigan City News Dispatch
- 2008-04-14-Zirkle's Final 3 Weeks Schedule of 2008 Primary
- 2008-04-24-Tony Zirkle Answers Logansport Pharos-Tribune Essay
- 2008-04-18-Tony's Final 3 Weeks Contingent Schedule
- 2008-04-25-Tony Zirkle Responds to Death Threats
- 2008-04-29-Press Release 1. TV 2. MSNBC 3. 4-30 & 5-2 Press Conf. 4. 4-30 Penn H.S. Town Hall 5. Pastor Wright 6. 5-3 Rally in S. Bend
- 2008-04-30 Zirkle on Jobs, Health Care, Afghanitstan, Narco-Terrorist States & Gas Prices
- 2008-05-02 Tony Zirkle Jabs Back
- 2008-02-03-Zirkle Offers Pro Bono Legal for Suspended Drivers
- 2004-05-03-Highway Bill Update & May 3-4, 2004 Agenda
- 2004-05-010-Why Tony Zirkle is the better choice for the Republican Party
- 2004-01-07-Zirkle Stakes His Position on Gambling Boats and Money Laundering
- 2004-02-04-Zirkle Speaks on Drug Crime
- 2004-02-25-Education and Affirmative Action
- 2004-03-05-Anti-Gerrymandering and Zirkle's View on President Bush's Marriage Constitutional Amendment
- 2004-03-17-Zirkle launches Web site and accepts Hispanic Leadership Council's invitation to speak on immigration.
- 2004-02-to-04-Taxes and Social Security Reform
- 2004-or-2006-Election Q&A for Lafayette newspaper
- 2004-or-2006-Post-Tribune Q&As
- 2004-or-2006-Terror/Cultural Wars and Porn-Prostitution
- 2004-or-2006-NWI Times Q & As
- 2004-or-2006-Michigan City News-Dispatch Q & As
- 2004-or-2006-South Bend Tribune Q & As.
- 2008-05-02 Site 360 Interview Self-Determination
- 2008-03-18-Zirkle Supports Veterans
- Press Coverage Links
- 2008-04-29-Television Transcript for WNDU & Comcast
Health Care/Medical Insurance
2008
I"m upping the donut hole for no payroll tax from $90,000 to $250,000 where no payroll tax would be paid. Additionally, I'm very uncomfortable about raising taxes; however, if the democrats continue to increase their power in Congress and get the White House as well, the increasing public outcry for universal, single payor health insurance will lead to much higher taxes than I'm proposing. We can not afford universal coverage now, but if we followed my plans on taking out the porn cults, we'd see an unprecedented economic boom.
2006
State and county governments pay about $11,000 per year for medical insurance for each of their employees. That money is charged to your property taxes. Some businesses are paying twice as much in medical costs per employees than they did three years ago. High medical insurance costs are rapidly becoming one of the main reasons why companies export jobs and why workers strike.
I believe that anyone who works 40-50 hours a week deserves affordable medical coverage at around $3,000 per year. I am proposing a plan that caps the exposure of insurance companies to around $25,000 per year. We have limits on homeowners and automobile insurance, and these limits keep premiums fairly reasonable. People are always entitled to purchase excess umbrella policies.
By removing the catastrophic claims from the system, we can dramatically reduce coverage for individuals and families. We can fund the catastrophic claims by reintroducing the payroll tax on the top 1-2% of incomes above $200,000 while preserving the payroll tax exemptions for the middle class between $87,000 and $200,000. Healthy workers produce. Sick ones do not. It is not more likely that a family will file bankruptcy than divorce. Health insurance, besides divorce, is a leading factor in driving millions to bankruptcy. Workers that have economic stability and those that can build up at least a small nest egg, will produce more than those who have no hope of escaping the confines of mass medical bill debt.