"Now, jail isn’t a certainty; depending on the infraction, fines are also an option. And, looked at another way, all this really means is that the government  continues to retain the authority to lock up those who don’t pay their taxes. But still, this is a stark reminder that when liberals talk about “health care as a right,” what they really mean is “health insurance as a requirement."
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No Health Insurance? Go Directly to Jail. - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

It’s the last sentence that is astonishingly right.  This debate began as a discussion of health care as a right.  But the legislation winding its way through the system isn’t about that—it’s about health care as a requirement. As a mandate.  As an obligation.  It’s not a right to health insurance; it’s the loss of the right not to buy insurance from insurance companies.

I hate the idea of government-provided health care, but in many ways that seems preferable to the product we’re getting.  Once again, the Democrats sold out their principles and managed to find something worse than what they originally promised.

(via jeffmiller)