Comments about ‘Supreme Court upholds individual mandate in President Obama's health care overhaul’

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish
Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the
general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do
ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The Preamble of the Constitution of the Untited States, copied from the one I have in pdf, tells us that one of the purposes of this document is to pomote the general Welfare. We will, of course, argue about all of what this Preamble means, but the general Welfare, without health, is nonexistent. If one is sick, or, worse, dying or dead, there is no welfare, general or specific, to be had, that would be worth much. Does this clarify, perhaps, why it meant so much to our sitting President, to Senator Kennedy and many others in the last forty, fifty years--of both parties--and why VP Biden felt the way he did when it passed? I, having a chronic condition and being a cancer survivor, feel, as Biden did, although I might have been a little less colorful.

@photographermom, as for using the Book of Mormon, read it carefully. Count how many times prophets call on the people to repent, and count how many times they tell them to repent of specific sins. By far the largest number of references are to being prideful with riches and not sharing their wealth with the poor and needy. And if you pay attention to what Jesus did and said in the NT Gospels, again, he says a lot more about sharing wealth and how being rich is basically A Bad Thing than he does about just about ANYTHING else. So don't tell me you're sick of me telling the truth about our scriptures and about what Our Lord and Saviour and the prophets of the Book of Mormon did or said. Trust me, I'm quite sick of the opposite. Remember, that brown-skinned guy who fed the poor and hung out with sinners and gave out free healthcare and was against war and for peace? That wasn't Obama. That was Jesus.

The far right has really had to work hard lately to try to spin themselves a silver lining.

Nanook of the North,

"....Most Americans don't have the first clue regarding what socialism is and isn't."

Thanks. That needed to be said. Since Obama took office, the terms socialist and marxist have been glibly hurled around right wing extremists who couldn't give you the textbook definitions of those terms.

Dear embarrassed Utahn,
The Supreme Court said parts of ACA were legal, not sensible or fundable. Obama does not know how to pay for the Unaffordable Care Act or how to make individual states spend Medicaid money according to a national standard. Without that the ACA is in the fantasy category. At least Romney knows elementary accounting, something Awesome Obama the community organizer (Did he ever have to balance a check book?) missed on his way to the WH. You should be embarrassed.

@nanook I am all for sharing and helping and when the time comes to be held accountable we can all say as a nation that we did these things not because it was from the goodness of our heart but because your dirty politics forced us too. Does that sound like Gods plan to you?

@photographermom
I get so sick of (Utah) Repubs using the book of Mormon as an argument. Go and read anything Jesus said. It will, of course, match the BOM writers. The undebatable message of that book is the dangers of socioeconomic inequality that inevitably leads to pride and war and destruction.

Do democrats go to their local meetings with the mantra "Jesus would be a democrat?" Nope. A ridiculous thought that he would align with either American political party, but would probably find principles compatible with his teachings in the platforms of the various parties. Here's a challenge: try to identify a part of the dem platform he'd like. My guess would be taking care of the sick and exhalting the poor in that the rich are made low.

Instead of second-guessing the Affordable Care Act, those of you who think it is the Devil's work, have the courage to go to your favorite search engine and look up one of the websites with the actual details. You could start with the White House site, or one of the government ones if you would prefer.

Further, understand: if you can't afford car insurance or proper maintenance for a vehicle, you can take a bus, ride with someone else, or walk. If your car dies for want of proper care or lack of fuel or other things, it's a shame. But if a person lacks food, medicine, health care, cancer/tumor/injury care, that human being, flesh and blood like you, will die. In pain, in agony, maybe slowly, maybe outside, maybe cold or dehydrated or overheated, or alone, and feeling it the way you would. Cars feel nothing. Now, I put this to you. Can you in good conscience, not concern yourself with this, when your government has created a way to help prevent this from happening, and you know it isn't going to happen to a stranger--or to you, or family?

@ Nanook of the North

Just to let you know that I agree 100% with you. I see the gospel as a call for social justice and Jesus as our model.

In Socialism, Yes, I also agree. Not a bad word but hopefully a wonderful reality someday.
"The whole group of believers was united,heart and soul; no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, as everything they owned was held in common" Acts 4:32

"I have lost complete faith in the United States and I fear for my kids and grandkids." --Patriot

If you don't like it you can leave. The rest of us will rest a little easier knowing we won't have to choose between the house and the kids' medical bills.

I have a sister-in-law who lived in Canada many years ago and she took the time to explain to me how the system there actually worked. She said most folks here don't really understand, and don't even seem to try to learn, how it works, so there are a lot of misconceptions. But when she explained it, I could see how it was more sensible than ours, and it would behoove us to work towards a single-payer system. One thing she did mention was that there was much less litigation. She told me that it helps bring down medical costs for the docs there, and it makes sense...even a strong Democrat has to think that some suits are more about revenge than anything else.

January 15, 1991, The President of BYU gave a devotional address remarking on the Constitution and the Restoration. The words of his talk and what 5 people decided for 300 million citizens is remarkable! Even more so, were the words this morning from Rush L. on talk radio at 9:46 am: "Our constitution is hanging by a thread!"

I think I can read between the lines. SCOTUS is telling the people that they can vote for their own bondage. If you want to change bad legislation, you do it at the ballot box.

A close and careful reading of the opinion of the court may well justify the conclustion that five justices of the Supreme Court of the United States actually struck down the individual mandate as unconstitutional.

The method by which the majority allowed ObamaCare to pass constitutional muster was to recast the law as something it was not at the time it was passed, namely, as a law that constitutes a tax on the uninsured.

The political ramifications of the decision may well make ObamaCare an albatross around the next not only of President Obama's tenure but around the necks of all those who voted for the law.

We just might well have an uprising in 2012 that makes 2010 look like -- well -- a children's tea party. It might be that now the adults will step forward, ready to dump the tea in the drink and a goodly group of politicians with it.

Congress, indeed, can tax to its heart's content. And voters can react. And likely they will.

The court called a spade a spade.

Thank you supreme court, you just put Romney in the White House.

Gregorio
Norco, CA

Your political opinion is based on a radio entertainer and a religious program. If that is as deep as the republicans go I fear for the GOP.

@Marxist:

:I am really enjoying the angst of the right wingers here." In theory Marxism is a left wing movement. In practice, all through the 20th century it has been a right wing movement. Stalin, Mao, North Korea, the Shining Path guerillas. In 20 years we may see that the practice of this has been far more right wing that anything that Republicans could have come up with.

Clinton may not be the only double agent among the Democrats.

Go Romney

I've noticed that in the last few days the "under the fold" DN stories have been all about the "poor, unfortunate" who will suffer if the Supreme Court struck down "Obamacare". What about the people who actually work for a living? Is there any chance you guys could just leave us alone for once?It's one crisis after another- healthcare, global warming and on and on. No one in my family has been to a Doctor in years except for routine checkups- are we the exception or the rule? I don't mind chipping off some tax money for the truly needy but let's be honest - this is just one more "bureaucrat employment" program designed to increase the need for "make work" bureaucrats"
I wish I had some money-making prospects outside of this joke of a Country but I don't so I'll stay here and contend unwillingly with the Monster that's been created.

@dave

"Me driving my kids to the park is no more a commercial activity than breathing."

If you spend money to drive your kids you have engaged in commercial activity.

"Healthcare is a basic necessity."

It is not a basic necessity. There are societies throughout the world and across the centuries that had no health care except what they could devise as an individual or family.

"Those that don't, go the emergency department and typically default on thousands of dollars worth of service."

Poor people don't have to go to the hospital for help. There are available free healthcare facilities across this country. Further, if hospital emergency rooms would use common sense it could screen people at entry and send those with simple 'sniffles' to a free clinic in town. Hospitals don't have to treat a hangnail as a serious heart attack.

"Nobody has been able to show me where their freedom is being compromised. This means that freedom is just a straw man argument."

The court has swung the door wide open. They now can tell you to join an exercise club and buy and eat broccoli or pay a penalty.