A Most Dangerous Precedent.

Whatever one’s position, in favor or opposition to the president’s health care law, the SCOTUS decision was what can only be described as the worst of both worlds.  The left will no doubt gloat that this decision is some sort of a victory for “fairness.”   The Right will no doubt be energized and even more determined to achieve victory at the polls in November in order to repeal the law in its entirety. 

Be that as it may for either side.  The truth is we all lost something by this decision; just a bit more of our liberty.  By the way the court framed it decision, they have in fact empowered government to tax non-behavior.  This is not taxing you on your income, not taxing you for a purchase you’ve made.  This is not even punishing you for having committed a criminal act.  This taxation for not doing something that the government has decided is in your “best interest,” taxation for not participating. 

Dangerous indeed.  Were does it stop?  Are we now no longer even be allowed to tell government that our choice to act or more importantly to not act is none of its business?  The court has opened the door to even more intrusion into or private lives.  They have in fact said there are to be no limits just so long as such intrusion is couched in terms of our “best interest” and enforced in the form of a tax.

No one in their right mind thinks that government will suddenly say “we’ve gone far enough.”  There will always be politicians, from both sides of the aisle, who will seek to corral more and more power and control for government simply because they profit from it or some power group wants a law passed in its “best interest.”  The need for which will be reinforced with campaign contributions.

What next?  We have too much obesity so we all must participate in some government approved exercise program and if we don’t government will tax you because you didn’t do the prescribed number of push-ups?  Or maybe they will tell us that we should eat a certain amount of what the government defines as “healthy” foods.  You don’t really have to, but if you don’t, they’re going to monitor your grocery store receipt and tax you for not participating in what they have deemed is our “best interest.”  

Perhaps my concern is overblown because there is no money to pay for Obamacare or any other pernicious program that may grow out of it.  But have no doubt politicians will continue to expand the excesses of government until it collapses of its own weight.  Maybe then we will get something approaching a clean slate and can start again to build anew a system based on individual liberty and personal responsibility rather than the sloth of demanding that government force everyone else to provide for us all those things we have become to lazy to do for ourselves.  One where we tell central government to stick to its proper rolls of national defense and foreign relations and little else.