It’s not only a way to reward the liberal-supporting unions for their activism. It’s a move intended to get unions that opposed the tax to once again side with Democrats on health care reform. And, of course, it’ll work. It’s not that unions opposed the tax; it’s that unions opposed being subjected to the tax. They’re just fine with others funding this monstrosity.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., told reporters that negotiators are pushing toward a broad agreement on the legislation by Friday, and would send the package to the Congressional Budget Office for its estimates. The agreement in principle would cover key issues such as how many Americans would get coverage, and how to pay for it. Certain issues, including restrictions on taxpayer funding for abortion, would be resolved later.

“We’re shooting for tomorrow,” Rangel said early Thursday after meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other leaders. “We hope to have the whole thing, as much as we can have (for the budget office) to be able to start working.” The budget referees must review the legislation before Congress can cast a final vote and send the bill to Obama.

Officials familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday that options being considered to lessen the impact on union members included raising the threshold at which the tax would be levied — it’s $23,000 for family plans in the Senate-passed bill — and exempting collective bargaining agreements negotiated before 2013 from the tax.

Under that scenario the tax wouldn’t hit until union contracts were renegotiated, delaying its impact on most union health plans until perhaps 2015 or 2016.

In other words, unions won’t have to pay the same tax as others with identical or similar health care plans. Why? Because they’re unions and they support the Democratic Party. Everyone else can just go screw themselves.

There could be one minor stumbling block in this plan: It’s unconstitutional. Read Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution:

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

In other words, you can’t exempt your friends from a tax that others in the same situation are required to pay. It must be “uniform”. Once again, the Constitution is a stumbling block for liberal policies. And once again liberals will ignore the Constitution to advance their policies.