Remember that wonderful Obama campaign promise not to raise the taxes of any American making less than $250,000 a year? Remember all those nutty conservatives saying that it would be impossible for the new president to keep that promise while ramming through all his liberal spending policies? Guess who was right.

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With deficits going through the roof and no end to the presidential spending spree in sight, the idea of a national sales tax is getting serious consideration by the administration. Now you may have heard about a national sales tax - federal taxes on virtually anything purchased by everyone - floated about as an alternative to federal income tax. But this is no longer thought to be an "instead of" kind of idea. The VAT or Value-Added Tax as it's commonly called is being considered in addition to the federal income taxes many Americans already pay. That's a tax increase folks, especially on Americans making under $250,000 a year.

As one of the few viable ways to pay for President Ocala’s obscenely expensive ideas, the VAT would be the perfect shell game - take hard earned money from everyone, everyday and use that money to "give" them things like a national health care system. I'm guessing even people who are not math geniuses will be able to figure out they are being robbed. And the administration will not have the "it's only a tax increase for the rich" platitude to toss around anymore. This would truly be a massive tax increase for all - even those who are below the poverty level would have to pay this tax on virtually everything they purchase.

On the subject of a VAT tax Kenneth Baer, a spokesman for White House Budget Director Peter Orszag, recently said "While we do not want to rule any credible idea in or out as we discuss the way forward with Congress, the VAT tax, in particular, is popular with academics but highly controversial with policymakers." (source) Of course it's controversial with policymakers - they want to spend the huge amounts of extra revenue a VAT will generate but they also want to get re-elected!

So while the spokesmen continue to speak yet say nothing, Budget Director Peter Orszag has hired a prominent VAT advocate to advise him on health care. That advocate's name? Ezekiel Emanuel who just happens to be the brother of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. In his 2008 book "Health Care, Guaranteed" Ezekiel Emanuel claims that "a 10 percent VAT would pay for every American not entitled to Medicare or Medicaid to enroll in a health plan with no deductibles and minimal copayments." (source)

Are you ready, willing and able to pay at least 10% more for everything you buy so that Mr. Obama can extend his spending spree indefinitely?