Before U.S. president Barack Obama signed his ObamaCare bill into law, a component of that bill requiring Americans to buy health insurance or face a stiff penalty was one of the main sticking points with critics.
Many of them called this mandate a tax, but Barack Obama steadfastly denied this. In interviews, Obama said the mandate was not a tax, but now that the bill is law, he’s singing a different tune.
The Obama administration now says the mandate is a tax but they are authorized to order Americans to pay it under the Constitution which gives the government authority to impose taxes “even for purposes that would exceed its powers under other provisions” of the Constitution.
The individual mandate contained in the health care bill is now being challenged in court by more than 20 states and individual organizations.
What this means is, starting in 2014, the government will force Americans to financially support the insurance industry out of your own pockets because the government says the failure of the insurance industry will affect the economy.
If the mandate is deemed Constitutional by the courts, then there will be no limit to the government’s authority to levy taxes on Americans to force you to support other industries such as the banking and auto industries.
“This is the first time that Congress has ever ordered Americans to use their own money to purchase a particular good or service,” said Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah.
In their lawsuit, Florida and other states say: “Congress is attempting to regulate and penalize Americans for choosing not to engage in economic activity. If Congress can do this much, there will be virtually no sphere of private decision-making beyond the reach of federal power.”
In other words: kids, Obama lied to you. But what else is new?
Source: NYT
