ObamaCare - Tax on Middle Class

The Supreme Court has ruled the individual mandate of ObamaCare is constitutional.

Chief Justice John Roberts joined the Leftists on the Court in deciding that the mandate can survive as a tax, but not under the Commerce Clause.

What the hell???

From the New York Times:

The Supreme Court on Thursday largely let stand President Obama’s health care overhaul, in a mixed ruling that Court observers were rushing to analyze.

The decision was a striking victory for the president and Congressional Democrats, with a majority of the court, including the conservative chief justice, John G. Roberts Jr., affirming the central legislative pillar of Mr. Obama’s term.

Many observers called the case the most significant before the court since at least the 2000 Bush v. Gore ruling, which decided a presidential election. In addition to the political reverberations, the case helps set the rules for one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors of the economy, one that affects nearly everyone from cradle to grave.

The debate over health care remains far from over, with Republicans vowing to carry on their fight against the law, which they see as an unaffordable infringement on the rights of individuals. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, has promised to undo it if elected.

But the court ruling is a crucial victory for the law that will allow its introduction to continue in the coming years. Passed in 2010, the law is intended to end the United States’ status as the only rich country with large numbers of uninsured people, by expanding both the private market and Medicaid.

The key provision that 26 states opposing the law had challenged – known as the individual mandate – requires virtually all citizens to buy health insurance meeting minimum federal standards or to pay a fine if they refuse.

Many conservatives considered the mandate unconstitutional, arguing that if the federal government could compel people to buy health insurance, it could compel them to buy almost anything, with broccoli becoming the central example in court arguments.

It remained unclear whether the court officially upheld the mandate or chose a more technical path that effectively allowed it to stand.

The mandate’s advocates said it was necessary to ensure that not only sick people but also healthy individuals would sign up for coverage, keeping insurance premiums more affordable. The law offers subsidies to poorer and middle-class households, varying with their incomes. It also provides subsidies to some businesses for insuring their workers.

The law requires states to expand Medicaid coverage for poor and nearly poor households. In all, tens of millions of people are expected to gain insurance from the law, according to the Congressional Budget Office, as part of a march toward universal coverage, a goal that has eluded legislators and presidents – including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon and Bill Clinton – for generations.

The decision came on the last day of the term, which the justices extended by three days to deal with the crush of major issues. On Monday, the court delivered a mixed ruling on an Arizona law intended to crack down on illegal immigrants, which the Obama administration opposed.

NOWHERE in this Times article on the ruling is the word "tax" used.

Not once.

John H. Cushman Jr. fails to explain how the ObamaCare mandate was upheld.

IT'S A TAX.

Obama has raised taxes on the middle class, something he vowed he wouldn't do.

On September 12, 2008, Barack Obama was in Dover, New Hampshire, on the campaign trail.

He was talking taxes and he made a promise, a "firm pledge."

BARACK OBAMA: And I can make a firm pledge: under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase - not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.

Read Obama's lips: NO FAMILY MAKING LESS THAN $250,000 A YEAR WILL SEE ANY FORM OF TAX INCREASE.

He lied.

Some thoughts:

--John Roberts, what are you doing? What contortions were required to turn something into a tax that was clearly defined as not a tax?

--The Constitution is under attack. The people can be forced by the government to purchase anything as long as that purchase is a tax. Prepare for the broccoli "tax."

--Obama is not the champion of the middle class. He has imposed a massive tax on the American people.

--Our freedom is at risk.

--If we care about freedom, we need to defeat Obama to repeal ObamaCare.

--Obama is a liar.

--This is a sad day for the country. As we approach the Fourth of July and prepare to celebrate our freedom from tyranny, we're faced with this infringement on our liberty. Time for another revolution.

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Read the ruling.
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The DNC reacts on Twitter:

it's constitutional. Bitches.

it's constitutional. Bitches.

— Patrick Gaspard (@patrickgaspard) June 28, 2012

TAKE THAT MOTHER******S!

Exactly what I'd expect.

Meanwhile, as the Left celebrates, the market plunges.

Have fun today, Leftists.

You're going to have to face the reality that your win is grounded on the mandate being a TAX.

The economy has not responded well to that news.