Comments on: What Virginia’s delegation had to say on health-care vote

By: chrisgraham

chrisgraham — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:51:09 +0000

Hey, C.W., just so you know, the Interstate Commerce Clause isn’t something that I made up. You infer such by referring to it as a section that I “quoted.” I was trying to be helpful referring to both the section of the Constitution in question and also its popular name.

If you don’t want me to try to be helpful on this kind of thing, I don’t have to be. I don’t get to dust off the law education from a hundred years ago that often. It can be useful in situations like these, but it’s of course easier to shout across the blogosphere using capital letters to try to get a partisan point across.

Don’t make the spectre of jail to be more than what it is. The reform anticipates subjecting people who fail to comply with the requirement to purchase health insurance to fines. Continued failture to purchase insurance and pay fines could subject one to a jail sentence. Just as continued failure to pay property taxes can do the same.

I personally have discomfort with this aspect of the reform. Not for the reasons I think you have. I think this section is a boondoggle for insurance companies meant to secure their support for the overall plan. Think about who benefits from a requirement for people to purchase insurance. By mandate, the insurance sector will grow its market share.

By: C.W. Irvine

C.W. Irvine — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:35:59 +0000

And which part of the section that YOU quoted gives the federal government the right to jail private citizens for not having health care insurance?

By: chrisgraham

chrisgraham — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:28:30 +0000

Are you familiar with the Interstate Commerce Clause, C.W.?

Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3.

Strict constructionists debate the application of this clause as giving Congress the powers that have been claimed resulting from it over the years. But that’s your answer.

By: chrisgraham

chrisgraham — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:25:28 +0000

We lease the field from the local school system. Guess how much dealing with the local government factors into our business model?

It’s a cost of doing business. Insurance companies have similar costs of doing business.

By: C.W. Irvine

C.W. Irvine — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:25:06 +0000

Which section of the Constitution gives the Federal government this Powers? I read the entire document this morning and I can’t find it anywhere… Chris, I’m not trying to be argumentative I really can’t find any section that would allow this bill. The only way I can find a “constitutional” avenue for this bill to become law it should be added as an amendment to the Bill of Right under Article Five of the United States Constitution. The new amendment may be approved by two-thirds of both houses of Congress, then sent to the states for approval. Two-thirds of the state legislatures may apply to Congress for a constitutional convention to consider amendments, which are then sent to the states for approval.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:15:58 +0000

If the government said you were charging too much for tickets to Generals’ games, what would your response be?

By: chrisgraham

chrisgraham — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Interesting read. Insurance companies are just trying to make a living. What is meant by the concept of making a living is the key issue there.

The struggle here is between one big institution (government) and another big institution (the health-insurance bureaucracy). I can vote the first one in or out. The second one, given the friendly regulatory regime, can vote me in or out.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:31:49 +0000

Isn’t the insurance sector pretty well regulated now?
And the fact premiums are going up this year, with the threat of more regulation hanging over their heads, makes me doubt insurance companies are the enemy.
They are just trying to make a living in a land of shifting government oversight.

By: chrisgraham

chrisgraham — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:58:53 +0000

Whether we want to concede this or not, we have a bureaucracy in place managing our health-care system for us in the form of the health-insurance sector. The health-care reform making its way through Congress does not replace that sector at all; it merely regulates it.

I know Fox News and the GOP have some folks convinced that it’s a socialist takeover, but it’s not. This is not single-payer we’re talking about here. Those telling people that it is are acting at the height of irresponsibility.

And what motivation might they have to do that? The politicians advancing this notion want power; the news organizations doing so want eyeballs and ad sales.

Don’t believe their hype.

By: C.W. Irvine

C.W. Irvine — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:52:30 +0000

This is not about Health Care Reform… the sad truth is that it’s abut POWER! The federal governments control over our lives, this is not a GOP or Dem issue… both parties benefit from this passage, it’s the People that well suffer. All things aside, I never thought I would see the people gladly had over there freedom as simply as they have, whether is the Patriot act or the take over of the banking system and now this… I guess history really does repeat itself.