
 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Dec. 24, 2009
/ 7 Teves 5770
ObamaCare: Freedom on Life Support
By
Larry Elder
|

|
|
|
| |
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Ignore, for the moment, the ludicrous claim that giving 30 million
Americans health insurance actually lowers the
cost of health care. What happened to freedom, to the opposition to an
intrusive federal government?
Ask a liberal what he most dislikes about the "right"? "I resent the
attempt to tell me how to live my life," he'll say. He'll mention
abortion and say that the decision belongs to a woman and her doctor.
He'll mention same-sex marriage and say that government should not
prevent two people of the same sex from marrying, especially if one
objects based upon religious grounds. He'll argue that a Supreme Court
"stacked" with right-wingers threatens his liberty.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia gives liberals hot flashes. He is
religious. He calls the Constitution a "contract," not a "living,
breathing" document on which one can discover or project nonexistent
rights. He is a "strict constructionist," or an "originalist," who
believes that the literal words in the Constitution have meaning. He
thinks his job is to figure out what the original Framers meant, not
what he would like them to have meant.
Ask a liberal how Scalia and those who share his "conservative"
philosophy think the Supreme Court should decide issues like abortion,
same-sex marriage and doctor-assisted suicide? He'll say, "Scalia would
impose his religiously based worldview on society anti-same-sex
marriage and anti-abortion because the federal government should
always preserve life."
No, Scalia would not. In fact, Scalia has publicly said these issues are
none of the Court's business. He's said that however he feels personally
about these contentious matters, the Constitution gives the Court
neither the authority nor the expertise to decide them and such
matters are ideally left to the states.
This brings us to ObamaCare.
What words in the U.S. Constitution allow the federal government to
compel every American to purchase health insurance? Where does the
Constitution allow the federal government to take money from some
Americans and give it to others so that they may purchase health
insurance?
Recall the anger at former President George W. Bush, who, to fight the
war on terror, "trashed" and "shredded" the Constitution. The same
people who railed against the Patriot Act, the terror surveillance
program and "illegal" torture happily unleash the power of the federal
government to redistribute wealth for ObamaCare, a socially desirable
objective. Never mind the absence of authority in the Constitution.
The left tells us that "health care is a right, not a privilege." Surely
the Constitution says so. No, it does not. Article I, Section 8 details
the limited power, duties and responsibilities of the federal
government. Extracting money from your paycheck and giving it back to
you when you retire Social Security? Not there. Taxing workers to pay
for the health care of seniors Medicare? Not there. Mandating that
employers pay workers a minimum wage? Not there.
| FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO INFLUENTIAL NEWSLETTER |
| Every weekday NewsAndOpinion.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". HUNDREDS of columnists and cartoonists regularly appear. Sign up for the daily update. It's free. Just click here. |
|
This is not hypothetical. During the Great Depression, the Supreme Court
struck down much of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal on
constitutional grounds. No, said the Court, the federal government cannot ) use the Constitution's commerce clause to
regulate virtually all economic activity. No, said the Court, the
federal government cannot use the welfare clause
to redistribute wealth, whether or not it accomplishes a socially or
economically desirable objective.
The Court asserted that the Constitution meant what it said and said
what it meant. This infuriated FDR. He threatened to expand the number
of Court justices, adding jurists who saw the Constitution the way he
did until he got the kind of decisions he wanted. Intimidated, the Court
blinked. Actions by the federal government that the Court once had
deemed illegal suddenly became permissible.
A liberal once asked me: "What should society do about the poor? Is your
attitude 'just (expletive) them'?" I said: "Allow me to rephrase your
question. Because of someone's plight, is he entitled to money from you?" "No," he said, "but it's the right thing to
do." Yes, a moral, compassionate society cares for those who cannot care
for themselves. This is, however, an entirely different matter from
using the power of government to take from someone who has, to give to
someone who doesn't. The Constitution does not provide that authority.
Nor has it been amended to do so.
What about the poor? Through economic freedom and competition, we make
goods and services cheaper, better and more accessible. Health care is
less affordable because of well-intentioned rules
and regulations. When government officials go beyond passing laws to
protect us against force or fraud, they raise costs and hurt the poor.
Finally, what of charity? Americans are the most generous people on
earth. The religious and those who believe in limited government are the
most generous of all. By design, the federal government plays a limited
role. The rest is up to us. Our country was founded in opposition to
tyranny by government.
Today we submit to it.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Larry Elder is the author of, most recently, "Stupid Black Men: How to Play the Race Card--and Lose."
(Proceeds from sales help fund JWR) Let him know what you think of his column by clicking here.
Larry Elder Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Tony Blankley
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

Mr. Know-It-All
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|