Force is at the root of almost all government actions. When a government passes a law, they are promising to ultimately point a gun at any citizen who refuses to comply with it.
And you usually don’t have to point a gun at someone to do something that benefits them. Therefore, no need for a law.
Which is why this is such a good question: If Pelosicare is so good, why do you have to force people into it?
Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) wanted an answer:
He’s talking about the part of the health care bill that forces Americans to purchase health care insurance…or else (Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit):
The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.
In response to the JCT letter, Camp said: “This is the ultimate example of the Democrats’ command-and-control style of governing – buy what we tell you or go to jail. It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately.”
Key excerpts from the JCT letter appear below:
“H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.” [page 1]
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“If the government determines that the taxpayer’s unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply…” [page 2]
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“Criminal penalties
Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses. Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:
• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” [page 3]
Force.
Allahpundit points out how similar this is to the fall of the Berlin Wall:
Ronald Reagan gave a brilliant speech in June 1987 in demanding that Mikhail Gorbachev “tear down this wall,” but he could just as easily have asked Gorbachev to answer this question: If Communism is such a benefit to its people, why do you have to force people to participate in it? The answer: Statism always requires force, and it always strips people of liberty. It always comes with handcuffs. That’s how we know it’s coming.
It’s being reported that the bill is DOA in the Senate. I hope they are right. As I have written before, this isn’t about getting insurance to people who don’t have it. The endgame is single payer.
And that’s a whole different level of control.
