The Law of the Land

“…Obamacare is the law of the land…”
–John Boehner (R), Speaker of the House

As we move on to the fourth day of the (partial) shutdown of the United States Federal government imposed by the Democratic Party, I find myself mulling over this particular phrase quite a bit. The Republican-controlled house wants to present itself as the reasonable force in this debacle, making effort after effort to compromise with the intractable Democrats of the Senate. I have to give them some credit for this–it’s quite difficult to do when essentially the entire domestic news media is arrayed against you. But multiple sources tell me that Republicans are considering “strategies” and “compromises.”

I do not vote for representatives to keep their parties in power. I vote for representatives to do the right thing. The right thing in this case, the ONLY ethical option, is the total repeal of the Affordable Care Act. And I’ll let you in on something which shouldn’t be a secret: it isn’t the law of the land. It cannot be. The Constitution of the United States is the Supreme Law of the Land, and no law which contradicts it can be enacted.

“But wait,” I hear the outcry,”the U.S. Supreme Court found that it WAS Constitutional!”

Happily, I have a quite eloquent answer prepared for that objection: SO?

First, I will remind you that this is the same Supreme Court that ruled that human breath (CO2) is a regulatable pollutant, and that it’s perfectly acceptable to kill children in the womb.

Second, I’ll point out the Affordable Care Act is blatantly un-Constitutional. It violates freedom of religion, violates security against unreasonable seizure, and grossly oversteps the enumerated powers of the Federal government, just off the top of my head. The Supreme Court saying otherwise, does not change the fact.

Third, I will ask: why does it matter what the Supreme Court says? Do you think that they really have the power of Judicial Review? They don’t–we do. The U.S. Constitution, which IS the supreme law of the land, makes it clear that the Federal Government ONLY has those powers which the Constitution specifically gives it–all other powers are retained by the States and the People. Nowhere in the Constitution is the Supreme Court given the power of Judicial Review.

Which leads us back to the shut-down. The Republicans shouldn’t be trying to save face on this with “negotiations”. This isn’t a football game, where we root for the team we want to win. This is the future of humanity, and human liberty at stake.

They should be demanding the repeal of the ACA just as an appetizer.