Call me your first convert.

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Yes! Eat your heart out David Koresh!

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Can we still have Uno night on Monday?

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Only for a maximum of six hours and if you drink you have to get all the way drunk.

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Tell me more about this church of yours. Do you have pamphlets?

Edited at 2008-04-17 05:19 am (UTC)

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Yes. I am interested in your ideas and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

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Man that shit is WACK.

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way to stick it to the man

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Yes and the defeated Man limps back to his free mansion.

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THEY MAKE REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER NOW???

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yep

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Did you check to see if you qualified for an exemption based on your income? It seems like you might (unless you make a lot of money but then have really high expenses, which might well be the case) and probably it is better to take that exemption rather than the somewhat shaky religious exemption.

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It's the principle.

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Are Monday - Friday still days of rest?

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*holds envelope up to head*

Expect an audit.

*opens envelope, pulls out a printed copy of this post*

[Ed McMahon laugh]

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Though nominally a pastafarian, I also believe quite strongly in your church.

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if i ever move back over to to massachusetts (not entirely impossible) than happily ill take up church-ship with you.

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I want to be a part of your church SO BAD. Finally, something to believe in!

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I hope the IRS doesn't have a LiveJournal account!

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If scientology appeals to hollywood then your new church will appeal to freelancers and the self employeds.

Sign me up.

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However, taxpayers who claim the religious exemption and receive medical care in the taxable year, for example an emergency room visit, will lose their personal tax exemption.

That's kind of interesting. What if I'm a crazy voodoo whatever, and only after my severe head trauma do I find Jesus and accept the glories of His modern medicine?

This is some straight-up bullshit. You ought to be a state senator or something.

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It's against my religion to pay income tax at all.

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Holy Shit.

I am joining your church this instant. The name alone has convinced me it is a good idea more than the entire bible and koran put together did for theirs.

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Call me Canadian, but I don't understand the first bit there. They penalize you for not having health insurance?! Should it be the other way around? Why would they target the people who can't afford insurance and then make them pay more?

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This is Massachusetts' way of pretending to have universal health coverage. They passed a law mandating that everyone buy private health insurance. Presto, problem solved! Of course the part where the state actually funds health coverage for unemployed or self-employed people who can't afford it is kind of incomplete. And if you fall through the cracks and can get neither private nor public insurance, you actually have to fill out more paperwork than anybody else in order to show that you're still in compliance with the mandate.

The program is being taken as a potential model for national health insurance reform.

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I was just thinking the same thing. A) Why should people be forced to buy health insurance? and B) Why should there be a tax penalty for people who can't afford health insurance? This is fucking ridiculous and it makes me angry and sad.

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Brilliant!!!

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I'm in.

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I'm in, too! Can I be a deacon? I've always wanted to be Deacon Jones (my real last name, and also this guy)

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Is it ok if I still worship Papa Legba?

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You know, I'm a church-goin' guy who's always thought that churches should be taxed the same as anything else. What kind of sorry religious person is someone if they can't suck it up and pay taxes on it? Same thing here. If your beliefs (not yours, Jeffrey, the imaginary beneficiary of this exception is who I mean) say you aren't gonna use your health insurance that you're required to have, great, you can be a martyr for it and bask in the knowledge that you're being oppressed or whatever and have to pay for something you won't use and don't want. LIKE EVERY ONE OF US ANTI-WAR FOLKS DO. Ahem.

Anyway. If I can be a member of another church and not get in trouble I'm joinin' your SCS Church too.

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Is equally wacked. Can't enroll to the state plan because of a membership cap, (illegal), and BC&BS is outrageously expensive. Lost my coverage 9 months before a triple-bypass. Guess who paid ??

Insurance sucks. But I like your church. I claimed my "Joanna" as a dependant. Damn right.
-me.-

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That is a church I can get behind.

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I assume this law is for businesses that don't have health insurance plans rather than individuals?

Because otherwise, that's nuts.

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It's for individuals. Yes, it is that nuts.

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But--but--how are you supposed to buy your own health insurance if you're paying tax on not having health insurance? What is that, to cover the burden on hospitals? Because...aarrgh!

The fact that anyone, anywhere in this country actively argues against universal health care is as insane to me as arguing against firefighters and cops.

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also i think there's some rule that if you declare yourself and your home as a church, and can get X number of people to attend every week/month, then you don't have to pay property taxes.

seems like you've got a lot of converts already, might as well ride this train all the way to the bank.

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Separation of Church and State means the opposite of what you think it does. You have freedom of worship, and your government can't infringe upon it. Forcing someone who disagrees with health insurance for whatever crazy ass cult thing they believe to pay a penalty is like passing a law stating that every American must eat bacon, and then fining the Jews.

Doesn't mean you can't use the loophole as well, of course. Go for it.

You should probably get some health insurance eventually, though.





Or get Jesus to buy you some.

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Hear hear!

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I'm a member of the Church of No Church and No State.

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Shit, I don't mean to rain on your parade, but... http://ftp.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/eotopica94.pdf

Unless the IRS paper jockeys aren't good at their job — which is pretty likely — you're probably going to get audited on this.

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The religious exemption kinda makes sense to me. Like, here in Canada, the Mennonites don't have to pay tax because they don't use government services such as hospitals.

Similarly, a person in Massachusetts shouldn't have to buy health insurance if they're not going to use any health services.

You, on the other hand, will probably want to use a hospital if you get ill, and because you're uninsured the state will have to pick up your bill. So they should totally charge you more tax.

So either get health insurance, pay the tax, or promise to never use a hospital even if you're about to die.

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