First, Granny had to worry about having the plug pulled. But now her grandkids have to worry about a less lethal but nevertheless decidedly unpleasant intermediate fate: jail time.
Yes, meet another unfortunate aspect of Obamacare: a regulation that would send citizens who refuse, for whatever reasons, to buy health insurance to jail. Investors Business Daily has a word for this: tyranny.
Tyranny: What kind of country would imprison citizens who felt it was in their best interest not to purchase health care insurance? We may soon find out.
This is not an exaggeration. In response to a question about what would happen to citizens who don’t buy government-mandated health insurance, Republican Senator John Ensign received a handwritten note from the chief of staff of Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation that set forth a scary policy: “Violators [of the mandatory buy or tax provision] could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty, Barthold wrote on JCT letterhead,” Politico has reported.
There are so many parts of the Democratic proposals that go against the democratic grain, and this is one of them. And are the Democrats listening to our concerns? IBD sums it up:
The more the public knows about the proposed plans, the less it likes what Washington is offering. Yet the Democrats have become even more determined to get their legislation through.
In fact, it’s starting to appear as if the stronger the opposition becomes, the harder the Democrats work on their plans. It’s as if they are legislating out of spite against citizens who must be governed by a heavy hand because they don’t know what’s good for them.
But we’ve heard that before. Just last week, Energy Secretary Steven Chu likened Americans to “teenage kids” who “aren’t acting in a way that they should act” in regard to carbon emissions.
One has to wonder whom he wants to throw in prison.