…the actual, you know, facts are missing in action.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) sent out an e-mail:

….The big story throughout the country this week was the U.S. Supreme Court’s disappointing decision allowing President Obama’s health care law to stand. Unfortunately, the decision allows for the full implementation of the 2010 law, despite its flawed design and questionable constitutional basis. The law still fails to address the issue of adequate funding, and will drive up health care costs, making it harder for small businesses to hire workers.

It’s bad enough that this oppressive law is allowed to stand, but it is even more disappointing that the Supreme Court bought into the argument that the penalty for failure to comply with the law’s individual mandate is actually a tax which is legal under the Constitution. When this statute was passed, President Obama and Democrats were very specific; they claimed this was NOT a tax. The premise upon which the Affordable Care Act was sold is false. This is one of the largest tax increases in American history….

Uh, if the Supreme Court decides something by definition it’s constitutional.

Let’s look at that other piece of right wingnut drivel:

“Obamacare is . . . the largest tax increase in the history of the world.”

Rush Limbaugh on Thursday, June 28th, 2012 in comments on his radio show

Limbaugh, GOP have it wrong: Health care law is not the largest tax increase ever

….As a percent of GDP, here are the top five tax increases from 1940-2006, according to Tempalski:

  1. Revenue Act of 1942: 5.04 percent of GDP;

  2. Revenue Act of 1961: 2.2 percent of GDP;

  3. Current Tax Payment Act of 1943: 1.13 percent of GDP;

  4. Revenue and Expenditure Control Act of 1968: 1.09 percent of GDP;

  5. Excess Profits Tax of 1950: .97 percent of GDP;

And here are the top five tax increases from the “modern” era of 1968-2006:

  1. Revenue and Expenditure Control Act of 1968: 1.09 percent of GDP;

  2. Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982: .8 percent of GDP;

  3(t): Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980: .5 percent of GDP

  3(t): Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993; .5 percent of GDP;

  5: Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990; .49 percent of GDP….

….Depending on your rounding, that would mean the tax increases resulting from the health care law would be about the size of tax increases proposed and passed in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter, in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush and in 1993 by President Bill Clinton.

The health care-related tax increases are smaller than the tax increase signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1982 and a temporary tax signed into law in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. And they are significantly smaller than two tax increases passed during World War II and a tax increase passed in 1961….

Ronald “Star Wars and Iran/Contra” Reagan. Heh.

Not even close.

Nice touch though, using the hedge language “…this is one of the…” in the e-mail. One of her junior colleagues in the Missouri General Assembly could probably use lessons.