Health Care Bill- Constitutional?

Floor Speech

Madam Speaker, the universal health care bill forces businesses and individuals to purchase health insurance. It raises at least two constitutional issues.

The Constitution doesn't give the Federal Government direct authority to compel the purchase of health insurance. So the Supreme Court would once again have to come in and by judicial edict give government the intrusive power to do what it obviously cannot do now: stretch the meaning of the Commerce Clause.

Can the Federal Government force people to buy health insurance whether they can afford it or not? Can the Federal Government then impose a criminal fine on them under the guise of calling it a tax if they fail to buy the insurance?

Then what happens if the citizen doesn't pay the fine? Do they go to jail without the benefit of trial by jury? Do they lose their right to confront witnesses and have a lawyer?

Congress's forcing mandatory health insurance on Americans and then imposing criminal sanctions without due process is a violation of the Constitution. This action would shock the Framers of our Constitution.

These serious constitutional issues cannot be ignored in the haste to have the government take over America's health.

And that's just the way it is.

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