[Gazette Blog Editor's note: The following letter recently appeared in The Arizona Republic.]
Having read many opinions and analyses regarding the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), both before and after the Supreme Court ruling, I am still stunned that five judges ruled that the federal government's power under the Commerce Clause was not applicable, in that you cannot force someone to buy something he doesn't want, or equating this to forcing someone to buy broccoli.
Those who do not have health insurance are already participating in this commercial activity; they're just not paying for it. Hospital emergency rooms must care for sick or injured people, and when they cannot pay, the rest of us do through higher insurance premiums.
Unfortunately, getting sick or hurt is not a matter of choice.
Barry Kasselman
Scottsdale
(The Republic is the Rim Country's best newspaper value. For home delivery seven days a week, call 1-800-332-6733.)
1 comment:
Is it really "commerce" if no money changes hands? Or is it charity?
And either way, it is not INTERSTATE commerce, and the FEDERAL government has no business sticking its nose into it.
And no, the Federal government has no right to force me to buy ANYTHING. They can't even force me to pay taxes unless I have income or property and many of the uninsured have neither.
I'm sure Obama meant well, but this was NOT the way to solve the healthcare problem.
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