On October 23rd, a reporter<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3693643:5399894885:m:1:147140772:A8C6016DD9721B4CD27B1391D731CE1A>asked Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): “Madam Speaker, where specifically does the Constitution grant Congress the authority to enact an individual health insurance mandate?” Speaker Pelosi shook her head and before moving on to another question replied: “Are you serious? Are you serious??” Pressed for a more substantive response later, Pelosi’s press spokesman admonished the reporter: “You can put this on the record. That is not a serious question. That is not a serious question.” *{that is what you say when you can't answer the question}*
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) disagrees. In 1994, the CBO said <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3693649:5399894885:m:1:147140772:A8C6016DD9721B4CD27B1391D731CE1A>of an individual mandate to buy health insurance: A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of federal action. The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States. An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique. First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government. As much as Speaker Pelosi may wish otherwise, the CBO is dead on: the Supreme Court has never validated a federal power as intrusive as forcing all Americans to purchase a service due to their very existence. Sure, the Supreme Court has said that Congress may regulate a farmer’s production of wheat even if he never plans to distribute it off of his farm<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3693650:5399894885:m:1:147140772:A8C6016DD9721B4CD27B1391D731CE1A>, and the Supreme Court has said Congress may ban the possession of Marijuana even if it is for personal use<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3693651:5399894885:m:1:147140772:A8C6016DD9721B4CD27B1391D731CE1A>, but never before has the Supreme Court said the power to regulate commerce enabled Congress to force an individual to do something just because he existed. -- $6.4 Billion Stimulus Goes to Phantom Districts http://watchdog.org/2009/11/17/6-4-billion-stimulus-goes-to-phantom-districts/ So, where is that money now? -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
