Friday, May 24, 2013
CALIFORNIA'S OLDEST NEWSPAPER - EST. 1851
Volume 162 · Issue 62 | 99¢

Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Health Care Act

EDITOR:

The Supreme Court finally OK’d the Affordable health Care Act (AHCA) called derisively “Obamacare” by people on the Right. This is a misnomer. In 1974, President Nixon was the first to propose a single payer health care plan but Senator Kennedy, much to his later chagrin, blocked it for reasons forgotten today. Then Reagan had a go at it, mainly through the leadership of GOP Senator Bob Dole. This was followed by the so-called “Hillarycare” fiasco. Eventually, Governor Romney succeeded in implementing a Massachusetts Affordable Health Care Act nearly identical to the one approved by the Supreme Court. The AHCA should rightfully be called the Nixon/Dole/Romney Care Act — co-opted by President Obama.

It has been interesting to watch Mitt Romney distance himself from immigration reform, health care reform and a host of other issues on all of which he has flipped, flopped then flipped again. Mitt Romney holds more positions on every policy issue than the Kama Sutra.

JOHN C. GARON
Placerville

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

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Discussion | 4 comments

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  • Dink LaneJuly 04, 2012 - 2:09 pm

    There you go John.... using fact and logic... but don't worry they'll come up with something.... I just read ; "The problem with the world is that the INTELLIGENT people are full of doubts while the STUPID ones are full of confidence."

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  • Jack MartinJuly 04, 2012 - 10:20 pm

    As a very important and fundamental point of clarification...the SCOTUS declared the individual mandate OK because they reached the conclusion that it IS in fact a tax if the government penalizes you for not participating. That said, it can be repealed by the very same means they used to enact it. In this case, the Dems engineered a Budget Reconciliation ploy to pass it through the senate. In that scenario, it needs only 51 votes and filibusters are not allowed. This heinous law will be easily repealed when Romney is elected and Republicans regain a bare majority in the senate.(Holding the House is a given this year).I cannot speak clearly to involvement of Nixon and Dole, but Garon's assertion that Reagan would have ever endorsed this heapin' helpin' of Socialism is pure bunk. Regan's position is quite clear in this 1961 presentation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdLpem-AAs As for Romney, isn't it interesting how he "flip flops" if his position on something changes, while it is said that Obama's positions "evolve" as most recently seen in his stance on gay marriage. Garon, your political arguments and points would have some credibility if you gave even the slightest nod of even-handedness.

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  • Jack MartinJuly 04, 2012 - 10:56 pm

    John Garon's brain a fact-free zone. I offer Exhibit A: Garon asserted that Reagan "had a go" at socialized medicine (Reagan's name for it). Reagan was quite clear how he felt about it in this 1961 presentation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdLpem-AAs He did not mince words about its threat to individual liberty. The SCOTUS ruled, very clearly, that if the governnment penalizes you for not having health insurance, then it IS a tax. The thing that will come back to haunt Democrats is the manner in which they used to pass it - Budget Reconciliation. A tax can be repealed by the very same manner in which it was enacted. In this case,a simple majority in the House, a simple majority in the senate (not 60 votes and no filibusters permitted) and the President's signature. Electing Romney and merely re-taking the senate is all that's necessary to repeal this heinous law. The senate is a done deal and Romney's election currently sits at even odds, and improving. As for Romney being a "flip flopper", I find it interesting that Garon and his ilk attach that label to him for having changed his position on some issues, but when Obama's positions change (as in gay marriage) they say that he has "evolved."

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  • gratefulJuly 05, 2012 - 6:07 am

    At last! John's supreme confidence explained.

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