I’ve wondered why state governors and legislators haven’t been more vocal opponents of the healthcare reforms being drawn up in Washington.  All these proposals would put huge financial burdens on the states.
I haven’t seen much in the news until this article appeared, reporting that two Florida state senators are proposing that the state examine dropping [...]

In Newsweek, November 16, 2009, p. 20, Fareed Zakaria says, “There are two general health-care crises in America — one involving coverage and the other cost.  The Obama plan appears likely to tackle the first but not the second.  This is bad economics but also bad politics: the crisis of cost affects 85 percent of [...]

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) was asked “Specifically where in the Constitution does Congress get its authority to mandate that individuals purchase health insurance?”  He couldn’t cite a specific section, but noted that Congress has required individuals to do lots of things in the past.
As a practical matter, Senator Reed is right.
Originally, the Constitution created a [...]

The White House is shrugging off the Republican electoral victories. But we know what the elections mean: The people are fed up with the march toward nationalization and socialism. Just like the 2006 elections were a repudiation of Bush’s war policy, yesterday marked public discontent with the Democrats’ war on the economy. This is all [...]

Yes, that’s right. Our own government, by expanding its power to unprecedented heights, presents a greater threat to our liberty than some guy hiding in a cave in Waziristan. Why is that controversial? The irony, of course, is that this common-sense statement comes from a member of the same party that has [...]

When I was younger, we thought the line “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you,” the height of hilarity, invariably greeted with derisive hoots of laughter. Today it seems that any government official’s exhortation to “Trust me” is greeted as holy gospel, with nary more to be said. A case in point [...]

As Congress debates the merits of the “public option” for health insurance, we might look at Florida for some experience, because Florida has had a public option for years, not for health insurance but for property insurance.
After Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992 some Floridians were having difficulty purchasing homeowners’ insurance.  (The reason: rates are [...]

A fascinating and frustrating exchange. Smith is exactly right that mandatory insurance without a public option is hardly a victory for the American people:
Over the last ten years health care costs in America have skyrocketed. Regular folks cannot afford it. So, they tax the system by not getting preventative medicine. They go to the emergency [...]

One of the interesting things about the Baucus health care reform bill now under consideration by Congress is that it will place a large financial burden on state governments, while state governments already consider themselves fiscally overburdened.  You would think that governors and state legislators would be up in arms about this, but I’ve heard [...]

Federal, state and local taxes customarily are due when you choose to do something, such as buy a pack of cigarettes, a gallon of gasoline, a new set of tires, a bottle of liquor or wine, a bracelet or a ring, or take a job and earn income. No tax is due if you choose [...]