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Massachussetts lawmakers are pushing a bill that would make health insurance mandatory in the state. Premiums would be subsidized for low income wage earners, and those who can afford insurance but don't obtain it could face stiff tax penalties.
I believe it's time we begin rethinking our approach to legislation. The government's power was meant to be EXTREMELY limited, as the founding fathers expressed repeatedly within the Constitution, as well as other published documents surrounding the Constitution. That power was NOT meant to extend to complete control of an individual's financial decisions, and this bill would tread dangerously on the line of religious freedom, as there are many faiths that do not avail themselves of our modern healthcare system out of religious conviction.
The push to create a totalitarian state has some very severe implications for the stability of our nation. While the majority of citizens in Massachussetts will comply, wanting to avoid the stigma of being considered a "criminal" for failing to obtain health insurance, there will be a greater number added to the growing pool of disenchanted voters who ask themselves what, precisely, government's role in our personal lives should be. And just as California experiences a regular exodus of people disenchanted with the increasingly socialist government, so Massachussetts will likely face such an exodus. The problem is, Massachussetts doesn't have the pop culture appeal to replace the departing masses, and they may find themselves quickly losing power in the US House to other New England states.
This bill is, of course, up to the state of Massachussetts to decide. But it may start a trend as other states start to follow suit; laws like this tend to do that. I hope that we as a nation are smarter than that, but I'm beginning to have my doubts.