>Would passing an extended ACA II with way fewer compromises and more effective regulation than the Obamacare version be really harder than instituting Medicare for All (so either a significant increase in federal income tax or a new tax altogether)?

My marginal rate in California is 53+%. That IMO is ludicrous given the horrendous condition of California and its budgetary planning. But...

I don't think the marginal rates are the real problem here. I think they're just peachy. The problem is we have an effectively ~20 page tax code with 4,980+ pages of bespoke deductions for individuals, corporations, and economic segments. Lose them all and start over with alt-min with far fewer exceptions (if any). I'm already taxed higher than most of the world* including most European Socialist Democracies without any of the perks and returns. It's not about the marginal rates. Which is to say we don't need new taxes, we need fewer loopholes to escape the existing tax rates. And we're not going to get that either. It's way too nuanced and esoteric a platform to gain traction with the sorts that think anyone making $100K in 2023+ is a plutocrat, so once again, I... give... up...

Also, California just loves multiple agencies competing for the same table scraps of tax money, but that's a different thread because all those redundant bureaucrats are getting paid on our dime.

*https://nomadcapitalist.com/finance/countries-with-the-highe...