Friday, September 18, 2009

Health Care by Government Force: Outrageous, Egregious, Preposterous...


Obama's mandate for individual health insurance is irresponsible, unfair...and unconstitutional. Don't take my word for it, here's how Team Obama disparaged individual health insurance mandates, circa 2008:

"[The] Plan forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can't afford it... and you pay a penalty if you don't."

"...the way [the plan] covers everyone is to have the government force uninsured people to buy insurance..." [emphasis mine]

...Or as Jackie Chiles might say, "It's Outrageous, egregious and preposterous!"

But Obama has come a long way since those halcyon days of yesteryear. Now the uninsured are in his crosshairs. If you dare to go without health insurance, watch out. Obama knows where you live:

"The problem is, such irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money. If there are affordable options and people still don’t sign up for health insurance, it means we pay for those people’s expensive emergency room visits. If some businesses don’t provide workers health care, it forces the rest of us to pick up the tab when their workers get sick, and gives those businesses an unfair advantage over their competitors. And unless everybody does their part, many of the insurance reforms we seek – especially requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions – just can’t be achieved. That’s why under my plan, individuals will be forced required to carry basic health insurance."

There's a small problem with all of this the Constitution:

The elephant in the room is the Constitution. As every civics class once taught, the federal government is a government of limited, enumerated powers, with the states retaining broad regulatory authority.

It is the authority to regulate foreign and interstate commerce that—in one way or another—supports most of the elaborate federal regulatory system. If the federal government has any right to reform, revise or remake the American health-care system, it must be found in this all-important provision. This is especially true of any mandate that every American obtain health-care insurance or face a penalty.

...Of course, a health-care mandate would not regulate any "activity," such as employment or growing pot in the bathroom, at all. Simply being an American would trigger it.

...Taxation can favor one industry or course of action over another, but a "tax" that falls exclusively on anyone who is uninsured is a penalty beyond Congress's authority. If the rule were otherwise, Congress could evade all constitutional limits by "taxing" anyone who doesn't follow an order of any kind—whether to obtain health-care insurance, or to join a health club, or exercise regularly, or even eat your vegetables.

The Wall Street Journal distills the latest iteration of ObamaCare down to it's essence: "Everyone would be forced to buy these government-approved policies, whether or not they suit their needs or budget. Families would face tax penalties as high as $3,800 a year for not complying, singles $950. As one resident of Massachusetts where Mitt Romney imposed an individual mandate in 2006 put it in a Journal story yesterday, this is like taxing the homeless for not buying a mansion."

Health care by government force? ...In 2008, Obama had the sense to ask, "Is that the best we can do for families struggling with high health care costs?"


Outrageous, Egregious, Preposterous...




More


Why an individual mandate could be struck down by the courts.

Obama opposed individual health insurance mandates

The Obama-Baucus plan would make health insurance even more expensive.

ObamaCare...a return to rugged individualism? Obama: “For us to say that you’ve got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase. What it’s saying is that we’re not going to have other people carrying your burdens for anymore.” h/t: The 46

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10 comments:

Teresa said...

This is utterly outrageous!! Both of these bills must be stopped. It is unconstitutional to force a person to pay for health insurance. We must fight against this tyranny. I bet our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves due to hearing of Obama's crap.

Amusing Bunni said...

Obama is such a jackass, and a lying piece of cr&P. It's gotten so bad, he no longer even cares that he can be called out on his lies. He is the WORST thing to happen to America in 225 years, or longer.
GOD help the USA if this nonsense get's passed.
He should be indicted and impeached for his ACORN affiliations and aid. Like Michelle Malkin said, he can't distance himself from ACORN, he's on it like his own shadow, (to that effect).

commoncents said...

Nice post! I really like your blog!!
COMMON CENTS
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com

ps. Link Exchange???

Adrienne said...

And now he has that wife of his shilling the issue.

Notificaton of an award delayed due to Verizon internet outages.

http://adriennescatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2009/09/award-missed-is-not-award-gone-or.html

robert verdi said...

well said and well posted. I wonder If Clinton chokes down any rage as Obama runs with the Idea he used to destroy her presidential ambitions?

Z said...

RK, I wish you had an email address available on your profile; I don't have one, either, but I'd like that.
Thanks for the Twitter traffic...as you know, I'm THE dumbest person re Twitter on the PLANET (trust me) but I assume that means you're telling your Twitter pals to see my blog, for which I am so grateful.

I hope my weekly Sunday Faith Blog doesn't turn'em off :-)

I thank you for your support; I SURE do appreciate your blog, too. Thanks, RK (not to risk sounding like your pal and mind COMMONCENTS HAAA!)

As for this excellent post? I'm not sure I can get through 3 1/2 more years of lies, deception, strong arming and suffering under someone who thinks we're all STUPID.

Anonymous said...

I love the graphic! I assume it is meant to say Obama's level of intelligence is that of a tele-tubby watcher.. LOL!

Isn't it amazing how the left can ignore the bald faced lies this man stands up and tells day after day?

The Gray Headed Brother said...

Let's get one thing perfectly clear: There is a Republican/Conservativeive unpublished but wholly supported position regarding the Obama Administration.
Do anything possible to assure that the Obama stimulous plans do not work. Even if it means two
to five million more Americans lose their jobs, that would be helpful for the Conservative cause. It's not important whether or not this recession ends; it's only important for conservatives to regain the power lost in the last two elections.
Hope for a major terrorist attack on the United States. While the argument is that the Obama
Administration is soft on security...even though it's not, right wing talk show hosts and conservative members of Congress truly would love to see a terrorist attack on American soil. Even if it can be
proven that the planning of such an attack occurred during the Bush Administration, there's enough right wing pundits to shift all the blame to President Obama.
Rush / Hannity / Cheney / Beck & CO- have a VESTED INTEREST in keeping the GOP in control. Lies / smears what ever it takes to retain power / control. That's how GOP & CO got incredibly wealthy under GOP ' leader ship '. Giving Huge tax breaks- to big oil / pharma / & Co's who shipped jobs overseas-while leaving us the crumbs.. ( trickle down theory ) From Reagan's policy to now - deregulation policy allowed dishonesty- lack of ethics- and flat out greed.
The record deficits stems from Bush, he took us over the edge and they have only gotten bigger because Obama isn't hiding the cost of two wars like Bush did.
Also. Sparky.. you may not like him, you might be pissed he was elected and you might want to change his policies, but President Obama IS the rightfully elected leader of the United States of America, and as such deserves be addressed as so. Those of you out there doing all the childish name calling, I have no respect for anything you have to say simply because of that.

robert verdi said...

Thought you might like this, from the times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/health/policy/21obama.html?hp


The president said he disagreed with critics who suggested that the health care legislation requiring Americans to get insurance coverage would amount to a tax increase on the middle class, which he pledged last year not to do. He argued that if nothing is done on health care, the middle class would fare far worse with rising medical costs.

“For us to say that you’ve got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase,” Mr. Obama said. “What it’s saying is that we’re not going to have other people carrying your burdens for anymore.”

Anonymous said...

Well, teh Obama dog & pony show continues with the TV saturation strategy on Sunday and Monday. Network TV = All Obama, All the Time.