re: #3 aagcobb

Sorry, I just don’t see why a federal mandate is awful but a state mandate is okie dokie. Health care is a national problem and calls for a national solution. Plus, if you are determined to not buy health insurance, you don’t even have to pay the fine. The Act prohibits the IRS from filing a lien or taking other collection actions if you refuse to pay.

It doesn’t matter what the Act says now. Acts can change. There are dozens of ways Congress could have funded HCR without resorting to a mandate. What really matters is whether the government has the power to compel a non-actor to act and enter into a legal agreement with another private party. I’m shocked by the number of liberals who see no jeopardy in this expansion of power and support the mandate simply because they like the current proposed application (HCR). If right-wingers were pulling this crap with one of their “national priorities” heads would be popping left and right.