How can imposing mandates on the citizenry to buy stuff, including health insurance and guns, be jackbooted authoritarian “socialism” if the Founding Fathers did it?
Pres. George Washington had no difficulty imposing a health insurance mandateIn making the legal case against Obamacare’s individual mandate, challengers have argued that the framers of our Constitution would certainly have found such a measure to be unconstitutional. Never mind that nothing in the text or history of the Constitution’s Commerce Clause indicates that Congress cannot mandate commercial purchases. The framers, challengers have claimed, thought a constitutional ban on purchase mandates was too “obvious” to mention. Their core basis for this claim is that purchase mandates are unprecedented, which they say would not be the case if it was understood this power existed.
But there’s a major problem with this line of argument: It just isn’t true. The Founding Fathers, it turns out, passed several mandates of their own. In 1790, the very first Congress — which incidentally included 20 framers — passed a law that included a mandate: namely, a requirement that ship owners buy medical insurance for their seamen. This law was then signed by another framer: President George Washington. That’s right, the father of our country had no difficulty imposing a health insurance mandate.
That’s not all. In 1792, a Congress with 17 framers passed another statute that required all able-bodied men to buy firearms. Yes, we used to have not only a right to bear arms, but a federal duty to buy them. Four framers voted against this bill, but the others did not, and it was also signed by Washington. Some tried to repeal this gun purchase mandate on the grounds it was too onerous, but only one framer voted to repeal it.
Six years later, in 1798, Congress addressed the problem that the employer mandate to buy medical insurance for seamen covered drugs and physician services but not hospital stays. And you know what this Congress, with five framers serving in it, did? It enacted a federal law requiring the seamen to buy hospital insurance for themselves. That’s right, Congress enacted an individual mandate requiring the purchase of health insurance. And this act was signed by another founder, President John Adams.
And not a single link to primary source material.
I’ve read the Militia Act by the way. Those to whom it applied had to outfit themselves with a musket and other supplies WHEN CALLED to serve, yes, but they were also compensated by the federal government WHEN CALLED to serve.
Well I am glad we can agree on something…..you view the forcing of citizens by the government to buy specific services as socialism.
And Ted is right, anyone called to service was reimbursed for their purchases. And with the nation being newly formed and the British unpredictable, our men needed to be armed to protect the sovereignty of our nation. And technically, it was a socialistic move…but temporarily necessary to protect the nation from invasion. I also agree with Ted…lets see some sources where you get your information.
The government has a pretty straight forward job. Protect our borders from invasion….southern border included, And handle international policy, intelligence and trade. What a wonderful world it would be if they had stuck to that.
Don’t be mistaken, I’m not a republican and certainly as you may have noticed, not a liberal either. The Republicans have abandoned their base to play to the liberal game of guilt trip. And liberals….well the cancer that liberalism is to this country is apparently clear in this Fiat President. The amount of power they are trying to grab from the people is going to come back on them. Like someone trying to run their hands up a vipers back….it’s not going to end well.
The government will one day push too far (which is close)….I guess we’ll see what happens after that. It’s about time to remind them where their true place is….beneath the people they SERVE.
Jason – The government’s forcing citizens to pay private companies for services is not socialism. Obamaneycare was an invention of the Heritage Foundation, an organization so right-wing that it sponsors Rush Limbaugh’s show. Whatever it is, it is the opposite of socialism.
When the Right people take over, you will be against the wall.
Absolutely lies on your part.