Sorry, Sen. Akaka, “We’re helping people” isn’t Enough

Posted by John LaPlante in Hawaii, Health Care on Nov 13th, 2009 | no responses

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Following the rules* has become a lost art among politicians, and that’s no more evident than in the health care debate.

A journalist asked Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) for the constitutional justification for requiring people to buy health insurance. His response was that Congress was going to “help citizens in our country to live a good life.”

Call it the “Good Intentions” clause of the Constitution, I guess.  “Good intentions” also legitimized forced sterilizations of the mentally ill and medical abuse of the Tuskegee Experiment. Some people even claimed to have good intentions in justifying the existence of slavery.

Members of the Senate ought to read any health care bill they vote on. But more importantly, they ought to read and think through the Constitution first.

* I wonder if the senator would be willing to discard Miranda rights or the exclusionary rule. After all, taking both steps would help most people through making it easier for criminals to be convicted.

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