Originally Posted by Jim in CT
I am not anti-government.
I don't think I've said or implied that either one of us is anti-government. Don't know why you had to bring that up.
I don't mind the feds doing that which (1) needs to be done, and (2) can't be done by a loose collection of individuals. There are a very small number of things on that list, you and I agree whole heartedly. This is one of those items on which we disagree. I don't like to see despair that was unavoidable to the person who is suffering, yet which cn be mitigated by social programs. And we don't need to raise taxes to address this, just cut a tiny fraction of the stupid waste that's out there,
In my opinion, you're contradicting yourself here. We agree that there are a very small number of things on the constitutional list of what the Feds can do. Mitigating the despair of persons for whom it is unavoidable may, in general, be only one category, but it is a category which is so large that it can absorb the money required for the other things on the list. And no, it is not actually on the list. That you want to put it there aligns you, whether you like it or not, with those who want to expand the list. Anything put on the list by other than amendment sets a precedent for adding anything else including the "stupid waste out there".
And if you think there is even a chance that the stupid waste will not be there, especially if you set precedents for adding more to the list of Federal powers and duties, you are being worse than contradictory. The limited list was put in the Constitution not only to protect the populace from overreaching government, but also to prevent adding things that would add to power of the Federal government to spend money and create more stupid waste. The Founders knew that those in power could or would try to spend beyond their means, so they limited their means.
As to your car insurance, no, no one expects you to feel good that you subsidized bad drivers in your town, which is exactly what you did. But you can, and should, take some small comfort in knowing that if you accidentally hurt someone today, you have an insurance policy designed to make sure that you don't lose everything you have.
I don't want car insurance to be an item that is added to the Federal list.
That's the same exact kind of protection that I think sick people deserve. They can't help having a pre-existing condition, so why should they have to pay (and struggle for their entire lives) dearly for that?
Why should this be added to the Federal list? And, as an aside from the list, pre-existing condition doesn't just refer to unavoidable condition.
I'm not talking about spending a zillion dollars so that a 99 year old with acute liver failure can live 3 more days. I am talking about a family whose child is born, for example, with something like spinal bifida (spelling error likely). Something that the family will live with for decades. Is it right that such a family might never be able to afford to buy a home, or send their kids to college, because every spare cent gets sucked up by medical expenses? I don't think so. I just don't.
Adding this to the list of Federal problems and duties is just another precedent for the Federal Government to assume any power it wishes. Hey . . . why not just write a new Constitution. It could be very simply put and understood. There would be no need to "interpret" it in order to make Federal decisions constitutional. Simply state that from henceforth only one Government entity shall be valid for the country known as The United States. It will be located in the area named Washington D.C. It shall be vested with the power to do whatever is necessary for the good and welfare of the citizens of said country, or of anyone the government wishes to include. There shall be one elected representative who shall have uncontested executive and legislative power, and who shall appoint any necessary regulatory agencies to write, in law, how legislation will be effected and enforced. There shall be one court system for the country, one Supreme Court whose power shall extend to all cases in law and equity, and shall be assisted with subsidiary inferior branches whose location, number, and appointment will be decided by the elected representative with the aid of the appointed expert regulators
It's fair to charge bad drivers more for car insurance. I don't think it's fair to charge sick people more for their healthcare. I can't prove it, it's just my gut.
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