Freedom Lost

Well, they've done it. The House approved the Senate bill on healthcare, and once the President signs it, America will have a new $1 trillion entitlement to join soon to be insolvent Social Security and Medicare. Despite what you might hear about "deficit reduction," don't believe it, if for no other reason that government programs never "save" taxpayers money. Spending does not reduce debt.

I will give the House Democrats kudos for one decision - and only one decision - they dumped the idea of "deem-and-pass" which I mentioned the other day. Even they couldn't stomach such an obvious breach of Constitutional process.

I titled this post "Freedom Lost." For despite the spin, which says 32 million Americans will now have health insurance, these benefits will not roll in for another 4-5 years. However, the tax increases required to pay for it start either immediately, or next fiscal year (reports aren't quite clear on this). So there will be more money out of our pockets now, which means less for us. But the real reason I find myself somewhat frightened by the leftward lurch deeper into social entitlements is this: the Government will now MANDATE that every person have health insurance. If you fail to get health insurance, the IRS is now empowered to levy a penalty upon your tax return (to the tune of $600-$700 for an individual).

Never before has the Government issued a mandate for a citizen to purchase a particular product. We pay taxes, because previous Congresses and state legislators approved the 16th Amendment. Imagine if the Government had decided that everyone must go out and buy a GM car. Historically, the federal government has never had such power to direct how a citizen spends his money.

Don't get me wrong. I think it is both wise and responsible to have health insurance. But I think it is quite unconstitutional for the federal government to mandate that I have it. Once the Government begins telling its citizens how and when to spend their money, with penalties for noncompliance, freedoms are lost.

This opinion piece in the Washington Post highlights some of the possible Constitutional challenges the soon-to-be law may face. This piece from PajamasMedia.com does the same. Both are worth the time to read.

The issue is not going to go away, either. From the sound of things, we are all going to get really sick of this healthcare debate. The question in my mind, will the American people resign themselves to the erosion of their freedoms, or does this "tea party movement" really have legs?

I don't know. Maybe there is a storm acomin' ...