And this is why we can't have nice things....

A big ruling in the ongoing constitutional legitimacy argument of the heatlhcare act came down today, and of course, it's depressing. Because they suck, the 11th circuit appeals court judged the individual mandate to be unconstitutional.  Now, this is not the end of the road for the individual mandate (I assume this issue will be in the courts for a while), but the idea that the mandate is some kind of infringement on a person's "freedoms" is absolutely absurd and is another thing that proves republicans have zero clue that we actually live in a community, and not individual bubbles. 

Let's put aside the fact that an individual mandate is necessary to fund universal healthcare; my argument for the mandate has little to do with economics and a lot to do with being a decent human being.  I assume most people value their health and would like to stay in good health in order to, you know, stay alive and be capable in old age.  Illnesses are scary, especially ones that require an entire lifestyle change.  And, unfortunately, there are many who die because they cannot afford adequate care, or are afraid to go to the doctor because they don't want to go into debt.  As mentioned in earlier posts, I strongly, strongly believe we would not exist without the help of the people around us.  We all serve functions to create a growing, prosperous community.  That said, it makes sense to take care of eachother, and nothing is more personal and scary than someone's health.  And the rest of the world seems to understand this, as we are the only developed country without some kind of universal system.  Somehow, someway, these Europeans and Asians continue to exist. And manage to have a cheaper system even though they cover more people. 

This idea that people are offended because they are being forced to help others, the very community that supports them, is misguided and kind of sad.  It's true that the people who refuse to pay into the system may not need medical care now, but one day they will, and will wish that there was a system in place that would help them to pay their bills. 

The selfishness of people really disgusts me sometimes.  All times.