The Supreme Court surprised and disappointed conservatives, and everyone else who understands the Constitution with its recent rulings on the Affordable Care Act.

The Court found the ACA unconstitutional on the grounds that the Commerce Clause does not empower the government to force you to buy insurance.

Unfortunately, in an amazing example of judicial activism, the Court re-construed the language of the ACA and the government’s arguments such that the ACA is constitutional under the government’s taxing authority.

Here is where the Court got it wrong:
First, as the dissenting justices led by Justice Scalia noted: “We never have classified as a tax an exaction imposed for violation of the law, and so too, we never have classified as a tax an exaction described in the legislation itself as a penalty.”

Second, taxes are levied on transactions. Sales, income, property and inheritance taxes are based on some transaction or transfer that happened at least once before a tax can be applied.  In this ruling, the Court is saying that your refusal to enter into a transaction (not buying health insurance) is now taxable.

If the ACA stands on this basis, there is little reason to believe that the government won’t soon start “taxing” you for not buying the right thing or buying the wrong thing.

Why wouldn’t the government, in the interest of promoting health and reducing costs, begin “taxing” you for buying soft drinks, ice cream and red meat, or “tax” you for not buying enough fruit and vegetables?

The answer is, it will as time passes. Americans just experienced a massive loss of personal liberty.
June 28, 2012, can accurately be described as the day individual liberty died in the United States.

If the ACA is not repealed, we are condemned to much higher medical costs, significantly lower quality health care, much longer waits for care, and our significant personal medical decisions being made by government bureaucrats.

Don’t take my word for it. Simply look at the result of socialized medicine in every country it has been tried. The result is always the same.

The only option left now is to have the ACA repealed which can be done only through cooperation of the House, Senate and the president, and the only way that will happen is if Republicans can gain control of the White House and the Senate while keeping the House this November.

This is the last chance to save ourselves. Those of you who do not vote, or only sometimes vote must take action this November or this greatest of nations will cease to be so.

Our only hope is prayer and the election.

Larry Wiwi is a member of the Franklin County Tea Party. Contact him at franklincoteaparty@gmail.com.