Categories: Politics

Unwrapping the Worst Christmas Present Ever

Do you remember the worst Christmas present you ever received?

Was it that cliché that is a holiday fruit cake? How about a $5 Starbucks gift card from a co-worker? Or was it a tie from your kids with an amateur rendering of jolly old Saint Nicholas that you wouldn’t ever wear, even on Christmas morning?

I am sure you can easily come up with your own list of horror-show holiday gifts. I am also sure that there is one gift that if you do receive this year, you’ll immediately elevate it to the very top of that ignominious, worst-ever list.

That gift is ObamaCare.

Now, before you accuse me of gross hyperbole, I assure you that I am not making this up. You see, in my home state of California, the state-run Affordable Care Act exchange, also known as Covered California, actually is encouraging people to “Give the Gift of Health” this year.

Here is the not-so-subtle, holiday-infused propaganda encouraging us to give out an ObamaCare “Pledge Certificate” for the holidays:
There is no better gift than the gift of health. Print this pledge certificate and present it to your loved ones this holiday season as your commitment to helping them get covered.
So, let me get this straight. The gift of ObamaCare isn’t actually health insurance coverage, but rather, it’s a “pledge” to talk to someone else about buying health insurance? Isn’t this the health insurance which the government now impels you to purchase, lest you suffer the consequence of being fined?

Here’s the actual language taken directly from this abhorrent “pledge” gift:

Dear _________________________

This holiday season, I’m giving you a priceless gift: the gift of health.

With this gift, you will be able to start the year off right, with peace of mind and knowing you’re covered no matter what comes your way. Through Covered California and your health coverage, you’ll be able to afford doctor visits when you need them and receive free preventive care (like flu shots) so that you stay healthy.

This will give us both peace of mind. Let’s talk about it, and I’ll even help you pick a health insurance plan and enroll.

If you want to learn more before we have a chance to talk, you can visit CoveredCA.com to shop for and compare health plans.

Love, ____________________________

If you get one of these “pledges” this year for Christmas, especially from a “loved one,” then you have my sympathies.

You also have a new story to tell future generations each holiday season. It’s the story of Christmas 2013, and how you got the worst gift you’ve ever gotten — the pledge to talk about socialized medicine.

Jim Woods is Editor-at-Large of TheWealthShield.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @Woodsish.

Jim Woods

Jim Woods is a 20-plus-year veteran of the markets with varied experience as a broker, hedge fund trader, financial writer, author and newsletter editor. Jim is the editor of Intelligence Report, Investing Edge, the Bullseye Stock Trader, and The Deep Woods (formerly the Weekly ETF Report). His books include co-authoring, “Billion Dollar Green: Profit from the Eco Revolution,” and “The Wealth Shield: How to Invest and Protect Your Money from Another Stock Market Crash, Financial Crisis or Global Economic Collapse.” He’s also ghostwritten many books and articles, as well as edited content for some of the investment industry’s biggest luminaries. His articles have appeared on many leading financial websites, including StockInvestor.com, InvestorPlace.com, Main Street Investor, MarketWatch, Street Authority, Human Events and many others. Jim formerly worked with Investor’s Business Daily founder William J. O’Neil, helping to author training courses in the CANSLIM stock-picking methodology. The independent firm TipRanks rates Jim the No. 3 financial blogger in the world (out of more than 6,000). TipRanks calculates that, since 2012, he's made 361 successful recommendations out of 499 total, earning a success rate of 72% and a +15.3% average return per recommendation. He is known in professional and personal circles as “The Renaissance Man,” because his expertise includes such varied fields as composing and performing music; Western horsemanship, combat marksmanship, martial arts, auto racing and bodybuilding. Jim holds a BA in philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a former U.S. Army paratrooper. A self-described “radical for capitalism,” he celebrates the virtue of making money from his Southern California horse ranch.