Cagle Post: Two Philosophies On Display At The Supreme Court

In our political system there is a fundamental divide between the two political philosophies. Liberalism versus conservatism has long been a battle of ideas and has ebbed and flowed in various forms throughout our nation’s history. Liberals advocate for Big Government whereas conservatives call on government to get out of their lives. Last week, President Obama said that government “made this country great.” I beg to differ, Mr. President. America was made great because of her citizens – not because of her government.

Government overstepping its boundaries was on full display last week at the United States Supreme Court where Obamacare was argued. By most accounts, President Obama’s Solicitor General, Donald Verrilli Jr., did a terrible job arguing the government’s case defending Obamacare, particularly the individual mandate. The individual mandate is the most egregious section of Obamacare, requiring every American citizen to buy healthcare on the presumption they will eventually need it and be in the market for it.

As Justice Antonin Scalia said during oral arguments, “Everybody has to buy food sooner or later. Therefore, everybody is in the market; therefore you can make people buy broccoli?” Justice Scalia’s comparison of healthcare to broccoli may seem trivial to some, but in truth he hit the government’s argument right on the head. It is unconstitutional for the government to order its citizens to buy anything, whether it is health insurance or broccoli.

Read more at Cagle here.