Posted on 11/12/2009 4:59:09 AM PST by markomalley
When asked where specifically the Constitution authorized Congress to mandate that individuals buy health insurance, Sen. Jack Reed (D.-R.I.) said that he would have to check the specific sections but said that it was like making people sign up for the draft.
Specifically where in the Constitution does Congress get its authority to mandate that individuals purchase health insurance? CNSNews.com asked Reed.
Let me see, said Reed. I would have to check the specific sections, so Ill have to get back to you on the specific section. But it is not unusual that the Congress has required individuals to do things, like sign up for the draft and do many other things too, which I dont think are explicitly contained [in the Constitution]. It gives Congress a right to raise an army, but it doesnt say you can take people and draft them. But since that was something necessary for the functioning of the government over the past several years, the practice on the books, its been recognized, the authority to do that.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
Using Reed’s logic, couldn’t they force everyone to buy electric cars?
For the Lefties the answer should be easy. The general welfare clause and the commerce clause are the left’s all in one wonder clauses of the Constitution. Next they will use the commerce clause to force every family to buy a GM car.
Well then just do that now and skip the bill!
Yes they can. Just outlaw gasoline and diesel.
Sen. Jack Reed (D.-R.I.) said that he would have to check the specific sections
Right Sen. Libtard. The healthcare provisions in the US Constitution are next to the sections:
1) Free school lunch, midnight basketball, and cellular phone service.
2) Funding of ACORN.
3) Use of tax dollars for funding overseas abortions.
4) Exclusion of cell phone use while driving (I think Hamilton twittered that to the Constitional convention).
This does makes me wonder. How did Congress manage to mandate participation in Social Security and Medicare?
Their logic is simple:
“Since we’ve screwed you before, now it’s an accepted practice, and we can screw you whenever we want. And screw your constitution too”.
Just remember that the "general welfare" clause is not actually a clause in the constitution confering responsibility or power. It is in the preamble, providing a justification for the powers granted to the federal government by the operative clauses of the constitution.
In other words, it is a goal, a goal that the founders believed could be acheived by granting limited powers to the government.
The commerce clause is an actual operative clause.
I do recall reading on FR (I don't have a link) that SS was first designed as insurance to be purchased, but they couldn't get required purchase to pass Constitutional muster, so they made it a tax.
“Since weve screwed you before, now its an accepted practice, and we can screw you whenever we want. And screw your constitution too.”
Hard to improve this one.
I’ve always felt the draft was on the hairy edge of government power. But on the other hand, I’ve used the draft as an argument against abortion. If we have the right to force men to spend 2 years of their life in danger of being killed, away from their families, in order to protect human life, why shouldn’t the government have the power to force women to spend 9 months of their life inconvenienced by pregnancy in order to protect human life?
Still, requiring people to pay taxes, or fight in a war, are fundamentally different concepts than forcing someone to buy the product of a private business, a product that has no direct value (insurance does nothing for you, except indirectly providing money to buy health care).
Now Deathcare is something to help Big Gubmint function. That should make headlines.
Yep......and they have their own constitution they go by up on Crapitol Hill.......obviously. :(
Using Reeds logic, couldnt they force everyone to buy electric cars?
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Using his “logic” they could force everyone to buy a Teddy bear or force them to stand on their heads and whistle Dixie. He don’t know logic from loggin’!
Someone needs to remind him that a war was fought over less than this healcare bill.
All 20 million should leave a copy of the constitution
on the steps of congress and white house, with demands that they obey it.
If our leaders, our government refuses to live by it, we should express our outrage. They should shudder with fear.
The next Tea party to DC should shake the ground they walk on.
Congress does in fact have the right ‘To raise and support armies’ and it does not explicitly endorse or bar a draft.
But, try as i might I don’t find that article that allows them to make money from one person and give it to another in order to benefit a third party.
Congress does in fact have the right ‘To raise and support armies’ and it does not explicitly endorse or bar a draft.
But, try as i might I don’t find that article that allows them to make money from one person and give it to another in order to benefit a third party.
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