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The Irresponsible Individual Mandate
Forbes ^ | December 15, 2010 | Yaron Brook and Don Watkins

Posted on 12/17/2010 10:35:17 AM PST by americanophile

A federal district judge has struck down ObamaCare’s individual mandate as unconstitutional in a case expected to go to the Supreme Court. Judge Hudson is to be commended on his decision, for not only is the mandate unconstitutional, it is also immoral.

Defending individual mandate, the president has told uninsured Americans “you’ve got a responsibility to get health insurance,” because “we’re not going to have other people carrying the burdens for you anymore.” Starting in 2014, the law will force virtually every American to purchase a government-approved health insurance package. Violators will be hit with fines of $695 or 2.5% of household income–whichever amount is greater.

Even critics of ObamaCare, such as Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, have echoed this “personal responsibility” theme. Defending the Massachusetts individual mandate he signed into law as governor, Romney said: “[R]ight now in this country, people that don’t have health insurance go to the hospital if they get a serious illness, and they get treated for free by government. My plan says no, they can’t do that. No more free riders. People have to take personal responsibility.”

Personal responsibility? Forcing people to buy insurance they may neither want nor need has nothing to do with personal responsibility. Real personal responsibility would mean that a healthy 24-year-old struggling to buy his first home or start his first business would be free to decide that he is better off putting money aside for possible medical bills and foregoing health insurance (or buying a relatively cheap plan to cover only catastrophic care–something generally unavailable today thanks to government regulations that require plans to cover everything from an annual physical to massage therapy)

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: healthcare; individualmandate; obamacare; responsibility; romneycare

1 posted on 12/17/2010 10:35:21 AM PST by americanophile
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To: americanophile

Show me how many illegals are paying for their free health services inside our borders.


2 posted on 12/17/2010 11:08:12 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: americanophile

It is hilarious to read about the Marxist In Chief railing about personal responsibility. If he were even the tiniest bit serious he’d get the Social Security Administration to jump on cleaning up the SSI abuses which are legion.


3 posted on 12/17/2010 11:18:56 AM PST by upchuck (When excerpting please use the entire 300 words we are allowed. No more one or two sentence posts!)
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To: americanophile
Should read...

"Even critics of ObamaCare, such as Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, have echoed this “personal responsibility” theme. Exposing the Massachusetts individual mandate he signed into law as governor, Romney said: “[R]ight now in this country, private citizens that don’t have health insurance go to a private hospital if they get a serious illness, and they get treated for free by government. My plan says no, government can’t do that. No more. People have to take personal responsibility and stop government overreach at all levels.”

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." -Thomas Jefferson

..."Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government." -- James Madison

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money..." - Alexis de Tocqueville

4 posted on 12/17/2010 12:01:29 PM PST by loboinok (Gun control is hitting what you aim at!)
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