It’s not the “mandated purchase” per see that is the problem. We have many places where we have to buy things — car insurance and a driver’s license and cars that meet specific standards in order to drive, for example (might well be the only example — that’s not a good way to start an argument now, is it....)
The problem here is the requirement to buy something that has nothing to do with a government service you wish to use, and for which the government has no compelling reason or “protection of other people’s rights” interest. With car insurance, you don’t have to drive on the taxpayer roads, and insurance is so that if you harm other people or their property, those people can be made whole.
Health insurance is only for yourself, and is only “needed” because government refuses to let people die if they get sick, and since government likes giving our money away but also likes to pretend otherwise, government is trying to force us to buy insurance simply to save the government money.
Of course, if the government had simply increased the medicare payroll tax by 5%, and then offered people a 5% tax credit if they purchased acceptable insurance, the plan would look just like hundreds of other “tax cuts” that too many conservatives seem to like way too much.
We are just fortunate the democrats were too scared to pass a tax increase. Because they had the votes, probably wouldn’t have lost any more seats than they did anyway, and there’d be NO constitutional question because the SC has long since decided that government is free to tax people and then give that money away to people for doing what government wants.
To show how ingrained THAT philosophy is, look at Cain’s 9-9-9 plan. He has a 9% income tax. But if you and your fellow citizens lobby your local government and make them do what Cain thinks would be best, you can get designated an “entitlement zone” (or whatever he calls it these days) and get 6% of that 9% rebated back to you. And so many people just love that idea — because what Cain wants to force you to do is something they think is good.
Charles I think the government really wants people to die after they become unproductive, otherwise pretty good post.