If this thing is declared unconstitutional, the first thing that needs to happen is a campaign to revoke Congress' socialist health care plan. It is absurd that members of Congress get special rights for health care while denying it to the rest of us. If they're so worried about socialism, then let's start with the socialists in their own backyard.
From Slate:
The Supreme Court on Tuesday wrapped up its second day of oral arguments on the new health care reform law, and the early returns suggest that things don't look so good for President Obama's landmark initiative.Of course, then there's this quote from Justice Kennedy that TPM picked up:
CNN legal correspondent Jeffrey Toobin put it like so: "This was a train wreck for the Obama administration. The law looks like it's going to be struck down. All of the predictions including mine that the justices would not have a problem with this law were wrong."
Over at the SCOTUSblog, meanwhile, they were singing the praises of the attorney arguing against the law: "Paul Clement gave the best argument I’ve ever heard. No real hard questions from the right. Mandate is in trouble."
JUSTICE KENNEDY: But they [the uninsured] are in the market in the sense that they are creating a risk that the market must account for.Kennedy's point seems to be that even though the uninsured aren't in the insurance market per se, we all still pay for their health care because they go to the emergency room and are required by law to be treated. And guess who pays for their ER visit? All of us. So the GOP has its own individual mandate in this debate - they're mandating that the rest of us pay for the health care of people who can't afford, or simply don't bother, getting insurance.
There's a reason the Republicans feel so comfy trying to take down health care reform, because their health care is subsidized for life, even after they leave the job even if they've only been there a few years. Put them and their familiar on the individual market, let them pay for a few pregnancies and appendicitises, and then let's see how gung-ho they are for John McCain's voucher plan.
