Posted on 02/16/2011 12:54:29 PM PST by Sopater
Washington (CNSNews.com) – Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday that the individual insurance mandate in the Democrats’ health care law has nothing to do with individual liberty.
“[W]e have been hearing that this is all about individual liberty, the right to be let alone. But is it really?” Conyers asked in his opening statement.
“The liberty interests at stake do not change simply because it is the federal, rather than the state government that is imposing the requirement.
“While we can debate whether Congress has the power to impose this requirement – something I believe we clearly do – we should not scare Americans into believing that how we resolve that question says anything about their individual liberty.”
Conyers argued that states require the purchase of auto insurance and that citizens are required to pay taxes, send their children to school, and receive vaccinations.
Conyers made the comments Wednesday in a House Judiciary Committee hearing examining the constitutionality of the insurance mandate.
For the record, a number of Republicans have dismissed the Democrats’ auto insurance argument.
"This is the first time in American history that Congress has passed a law mandating that you buy something simply because you're breathing," Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) wrote in a USA Today op-ed last year. "You don't need to purchase a car. You do need to breathe," he said.
You only need auto insurance if you own and drive a car. My elderly mother does neither. She isn't required to buy auto insurance. My middle son is unemployed. No earned income. No requirement to pay taxes. Vaccinations can be refused on medical or religious grounds. Public schools? Yuck. The government really has no constitutional authority to establish schools or require students to attend them. Perhaps it is time to revisit that failed travesty.
It’s worse for auto insurance. States don’t even require it to drive. They only require it to drive a car on public roads. You don’t need that insurance to drive, for example, a racing, off-road or farm vehicle.
John Conyers is a moron. Who listens to anything he says?
Randy Barnett’s to testify today on Obamacare mandate here’s his new Examiner Op column - Obamacare’s individual mandate is a dangerous new federal power http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2011/02/obamacares-individual-mandate-dangerous-new-federal-power#
Dear God, what a moron this guy is. Auto insurance is proof of financial responsibility and mitigates financial liability. It has NOTHING to do with medical "insurance", which isn't insurance anymore, but just a group rate on doctor bills.
As a homeschooler, I do not "send [my] children to school", and I suppose this moron sees that as a problem.
And vaccinations? The states should subsidize them in the name of public health. I got no problem with that; the states don't have constitutionally enumerated powers like the FedGov does. But NO state should be able to compel an individual to give his kid a vaccination he/she disagrees with. And I don't think any do.
EXCELLENT POINT!
Spot on, well said.
Conyers is an inept senile fool whoms wife is a federal prison. this guy is a joke he will say anything even if its is false. what do expect for a detroit politician
Somehow you could have worked in there his wife has no individual liberty as she is sitting in federal prison for bribery.
So what happened? Nothing. The U.S. government chose to condone treason because both Conyers and Dellums were Black and the Dems had Congress.
So what happened? Nothing. The U.S. government chose to condone treason because both Conyers and Dellums were Black and the Dems had Congress.
So what member of the congressional black caucus is not a socialist/communist?
Good luck with that.
Most, if not all states require liability insurance - that’s for the OTHER guy, not the driver, or proof of financial responsibility, in the form of a bond.
There’s nothing that says I have to keep collision on my car - PROVIDED IT’S MY CAR.
The “car insurance” analogy is ridiculous. But let’s use it. Some people can’t drive - they can’t pass the vision req’s, or pass the drivers test. But according to this line of thinking, the state is fine to require them to buy it?
I want a pony for every kid too, don’t get me wrong, but I like how they always talk about “high quality” and “affordable” for “ everyone” Pick two.
Or - “We need to more like Sweden” Or _________, wherever. One big reason many euro countries could afford socialized medicine (Well, they probably can’t either) or at least attempt it - and this never gets pointed out - those countries enjoyed the umbrella of US defense spending and nuclear deterrence for a half century or more of the Cold War. It’s more than a little disingenuous to point to Europe.
That is true, but how many have (had) direct ties to a FOREIGN intelligence agency actively hostile to the United States?
That nothing was done is still mind-numbing. Remember, these guys also have “security clearances” to look at classified information. OK, what’s the point if you have foreign agents of influence that can read these documents?
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