Health care remains individual responsibility
When it comes to health care, decisions over what options to take should be made by individual citizens — not the government.
The recent health care debate is more about American principles than noble intentions for the public. President Barack Obama’s reform is almost identical to President Richard Nixon’s in 1974 and Sen. Bob Dole’s bill in 1993. In particular, the Dole plan had the same individual mandate that Obama’s plan has today. Supporting lawmakers ignored — and continue to ignore — the fact that Congress is not explicitly granted the power to force people to participate in economic activity under the Constitution’s commerce clause.
I personally believe Congress only has the power to tax Americans on things that protect the public’s good — such as the military or infrastructure. Having health insurance should be optional, like obtaining homeowner’s insurance. Your health is your own property; you should be able to choose whether to upgrade, improve or design it. Health insurance should not be confused with compulsory liability insurance, whose function is to protect you and others while engaging in a high risk activity — namely, driving — that poses potential risks to all involved.
The individual mandate remains just as unconstitutional as when it appeared in past legislation. Let us support the Supreme Court in its efforts to strike down this mandate, thereby perfecting our democracy for the benefit of all.
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