I'm constantly amazed by the hypocrisy. Now it would appear that Democrats like the idea of taxing the rich... unless it's their rich you're taxing.

Unhappy Senate Democrats on Thursday found plenty to complain about in the fine print of the latest health overhaul bill, particularly a tax provision they fear would hit hard at middle-class Americans, from coal miners in West Virginia to firefighters in New York...

To pay for the 10-year, $856 billion bill Baucus wants to tax high-value insurance plans, those worth $21,000 for a family and $8,000 for an individual. Baucus says those are "Cadillac plans" enjoyed by a small minority of Americans...

But other Democratic senators fear that the tax would reach deep into middle-class pocketbooks, and labor unions are upset. Two Democrats on the Finance Committee, Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, along with other senators, say they want to limit the tax before signing off on the bill.

"We need to make it fairer to working people so that working folks don't get dragged into this at a level where they just don't have the incomes to support it," Kerry told reporters after a closed-door committee meeting to discuss the bill.

If union people are concerned about a tax on health insurance policies worth $8000/year, then either these union people aren't middle class or they need to be receiving health insurance more in line with the middle class.

I make a decent living and I'm pretty dang sure I earn more than the average union worker. And my individual health insurance is worth about $2400/year. If these union folks have health insurance plans worth $8000/year, no wonder union industries are going bankrupt and requiring bailouts!

But regardless of whether or not their health insurance benefits are reasonable or not, it's absolutely astounding to hear Democrats complaining about raising taxes on rich-level health plans simply because it's going to apparently affect their constituents.

These Democrats need to get their story straight: Either they're for taxing the rich or they're not. To design a tax on "Cadillac-level" health plans but then to get squeamish because you realize that some of your core constituents have that level of plan really means you're not in favor of taxing the rich... you're in favor of taxing the rich that aren't your constituents.

Once again, Democrats pushing the proverbial free lunch. No-one should be without insurance! It's society's responsibility! Free health care for all!

As long as someone else is paying, not Democrat voters.