3-28-15 Hodgepodge

They Won't Stop ObamaCare This Time, Either

I agree with Barton Hinkle that the Supreme Court "should have killed Obamacare when it had the chance", when it ruled on the constitutionality of the individual mandate. That said, I agree with his analysis of the current challenge to the legality of some of the premium subsidies. Among other things:

[T]here is also good evidence to support the other view. For instance: Another section of the law limits individual eligibility to buy insurance to those who "reside ... in the State that established the Exchange." If that excludes federal exchanges, then nobody will ever be eligible to buy insurance on a federal exchange.

In that case, why did Congress provide for such exchanges at all? Did Congress mean something else -- or was this a another drafting error? And if this was a drafting error, then what does that say about the plaintiffs' contention that the wording of the five-word phrase is intentional?

Whatever the outcome of this case, wishful thinking will prove no substitute for principled, disciplined opposition to this improper law.

 Weekend Reading

"Seeing yourself objectively, and with detachment is an effective method for resolving whatever conflicts or issues you may face." -- Michael Hurd, in "Laugh Yourself Well" at The Delaware Wave

"My experience has shown that alcoholics tend to take this misguided philosophy [of altruism] to heart." -- Michael Hurd, in "Why Not to Call an Alcoholic 'Selfish'" at The Delaware Coast Press

My Two Cents

Upon reading Michael Hurd's column on the mental health benefits of humor, I sound myself thinking, "Oh, yeah! That makes lots of sense." The point about humor coming from and helping maintain the kind of perspective that mental health requires seems obvious after reading that piece.

Literary Alchemy

At Futility Closet is a satirical list of terms that could, "like machinery in factories", according to C. L. Pitt, turn a Gothic romance into a sentimental novel and vice versa. My favorite word substitution: the "assassins" in Gothic novels could be replaced by "telling glances".

-- CAV