Romney: My Individual Health Care Mandate was "Ultimate Conservatism"

[rambone]

Mitt Romney said that forcing citizens to buy a service under penalty of law is the "ultimate conservatism." I guess I want to know what he thinks he is conserving.

Will Conservatives call him out, or line up behind him?

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Romney: The Individual Mandate Is "Ultimate Conservatism"

"When they show up at the hospital, they get care, they get free care, paid for by you and me. If that's not a form of socialism, I don't know what is. So my plan did something quite different. It said, you know what, if people can afford to buy insurance, if they can afford to buy insurance, or if they can pay their own way, then they either buy that insurance or pay their own way, but they no longer look to government to hand out free care. And that, in my opinion, is ultimate conservatism. That's why the Heritage Foundation worked with us and was at the celebration of the signing. The Heritage Foundation, as you know, a quintessentially conservative group, recognized that the principles of free enterprise and personal responsibility were at work. And I'm proud to talk about what we did. We did not need to raise taxes. We did not need to have the government take over health care. Instead, we rely on private market dynamics to get people in our state insured and for individuals to finally take responsibility for some portion of their health care rather than expecting government to give them a free ride." (h/t BuzzFeed)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIPynMZuQtI[/ame]

 

[J_Wales]

Demonstrating yet again that there is virtually no difference between fearless leader and romney.

If those are the options for the 2012 election, voters will be left once again to choose between ****ty and ****tier.

What a crock.

 

[mrjarrell]

Seems like conservatism at its best to me. They and their buddies on the other side of the aisle are always looking to interfere with peoples ability to do as they wish.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Seems like conservatism at its best to me. They and their buddies on the other side of the aisle are always looking to interfere with peoples ability to do as they wish.

Yeah, but individual mandates were the policy darling of the Libertarians just a few years ago. Now suddenly they run and hide from what they advocated.

Remember, Libertarians want you to be free to do as they tell you.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The problem is not the indvidual mandate it is that Democrats loaded up the Massachusetts law and it plunged over the cliff.

We've been over this: Three cheers for RomneyCare - HUMAN EVENTS

 

[Clay]

the one thing I agree with on Romney about this bill, is that its should be the states option on what they want to do, and not a mandate by the feds.

 

[rambone]

The problem is not the indvidual mandate it is that Democrats loaded up the Massachusetts law and it plunged over the cliff.

We've been over this: Three cheers for RomneyCare - HUMAN EVENTS

Good to know where you stand Kirk.

For me, mandates to buy stuff is a big problem. Its not good government and is doesn't take society one inch away from Socialism. It is another win for the collectivists.

I won't be joining you with the hip-hip-hoorays.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Don't confuse poor policy with unconstitutional.

Romneycare, while constitutional, is bad policy.

Obamacare is both bad policy and unconstitutional.

The individual mandate that the Libertarians and others on the Right were pushing would have worked IF it were free of mandated paid for aroma therapy, birth control, and intrepretative dance lessons.

Where I stand? Well, if the issue is me (ask any ex-girlfriend the issue is always me) then the solution is HSAs, the abolition of interstate commerce restrictions, and insurance deregulation. However, the solution takes power away from governments.

 

[mrjarrell]

Yeah, but individual mandates were the policy darling of the Libertarians just a few years ago. Now suddenly they run and hide from what they advocated.

Remember, Libertarians want you to be free to do as they tell you.

No, they weren't. Many in the libertarian community spoke out about them, in the negative. You're basing your opinion on a Reason op/ed, not the overwhelming stance of the majority of the libertarian community.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

So, would exercising a Constitutionally guaranteed right be a conservative thing...or a liberal thing?

-J-

 

[Kirk Freeman]

You're basing your opinion on a Reason op/ed, not the overwhelming stance of the majority of the libertarian community.

No, while the flagship of Libertarian thought, Reason magazine, published pro-mandate articles (perhaps they were not aware that they were being published, a la other newsletters?), other Libertarian (and conservative) groups were pimping the individual mandate.

Perhaps it is fairer to say that there was a split in Libertarian thought over the individual mandate at the time.

 

[spec4]

Romney's quote makes sense to me. Why should I pay for someone else, assuming they have the ability to pay on their own but choose not to? Years ago when I lived in Crook County, IL, a part of my real estate tax bill went to Crook County Hospital. No way in hell me, or thousands of other Crook County taxpayers would go there, yet we all had to support it. Crook County has had "free" health care forever. "Free" meaning those of us who worked for a living and paid taxes provided the drones with health care. The goal of Gov. Quinn and the other socialists over there is to expand medicaid more, even though the state is bankrupt.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Romney's quote makes sense to me. Why should I pay for someone else, assuming they have the ability to pay on their own but choose not to? Years ago when I lived in Crook County, IL, a part of my real estate tax bill went to Crook County Hospital. No way in hell me, or thousands of other Crook County taxpayers would go there, yet we all had to support it. Crook County has had "free" health care forever. "Free" meaning those of us who worked for a living and paid taxes provided the drones with health care. The goal of Gov. Quinn and the other socialists over there is to expand medicaid more, even though the state is bankrupt.

You shouldn't have to pay for someone else. The solution isn't to make EVERYONE pay though. The solution is to remove the law that allows one person to mooch off another.

That's not "compassionate conservatism" though.