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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Big brother Congress

People misunderstand why opponents of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are upset. As an opponent of the law, its not that I don’t think everyone should have access to some sort of health care. Ideally, I do. 

The problem I have with the act is that I don’t believe Congress and the federal government have the power to enact such a law, and the law as written is so complex that it required our nation’s Supreme Court to decide if it’s even Constitutional. What ever happened to simplicity in governing?

Congress cited the Commerce Clause, one of its favorite clauses, to give itself the power to pass PPACA. The Commerce Clause states the Congress shall have power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes.”

Reading the Commerce Clause, I have a hard time figuring out how it is within Congress’ power to assess a penalty, which is now considered a tax, if someone doesn’t do something.  I’m not the only one who has a hard time understanding this. Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito feel the same way. 

The U.S. has always been a pinnacle and beacon of “freedom.” We have freedom of speech, religion, protest and so on. But now, Congress is going to start penalizing citizens for not doing something. Congress is going to penalize American citizens for making a choice they don’t like because it thinks it knows what is better for every person who might become subject to the individual mandate.

When was Congress granted the power of knowing what is best for its citizens, better than its citizens do?

If Congress is given the power to do this, when are we going to start reeling in its powers? At what point do we say, “OK, now they have gone a little too far”? Is it when they decide that no one can make more than $1 million a year in investments?
 
Congress hasn’t decided to give itself the power to make decisions for us, but it is on its way there. While it knows it can’t get away with that yet, it decided to do its best to make sure people make the decisions Congress wants.

The individual mandate is Congress leaning over your shoulder and making sure you do what they want. The individual mandate is basically a financial threat for noncompliance from Congress.

Congress is completely overstepping its boundaries. It is now bullying people into doing what it wants. If the individual mandate doesn’t make you concerned about your liberties and freedoms in the U.S., then you don’t care about them at all.

­— wfgryna@indiana.edu

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