Short takes
0 Comments | Charleston Gazette, The, Jul 24, 2010 | by Dmedit
IN September, George Stephanopoulos of ABC quizzed President Obama on his health insurance proposal, asking: “Under this mandate, the government is forcing people to spend money, fining you if you don’t. How is that not a tax?”
The president replied, “Well, hold on a second, George. Here – here’s what’s happening. You and I are both paying $900, on average – our families – in higher premiums because of uncompensated care.
“Now what I’ve said is that if you can’t afford health insurance, you certainly shouldn’t be punished for that.”
His answer went on and on as he denied that the “fine” for not buying health insurance was a tax.
But now that more than 20 states have sued the administration to block Obamacare, the president is singing a different tune. The states argue that the president and Congress have no power to force people to buy anything, including health insurance.
The administration now argues that Congress can do so under the constitutional power to “lay and collect taxes.”
Suddenly the tax that wasn’t a tax is a tax again.
Such semantics may be a reason why poll after poll shows that a majority of Americans want the health insurance law to be repealed.
The president and the Democratic Party were not upfront with the people. They used parliamentary rules to get around a straight-up- and-down vote on this proposal, which had no input from Republicans.
This is a tax all right, but an unconstitutional one
family health insurance