In the past few days there's been an uproar over a requirement in the act that forces employers to offer health insurance that will cover birth control pills (including the controversial "morning after" pill). The big argument recently has been that while churches were exempt from providing this, religious-based employers still had to provide it.
Today, the President announced that the religious-based employers wouldn't have to provide contraception drugs free of charge, but that the insurance companies would have to provide them instead.
People are so caught up in the religious aspect of this they miss the real issue which is; if the United States Government can tell an insurance company they must provide goods or services free to the recipient, they can do it in other areas as well. As silly as it may sound to some, what is to stop the Federal Government from telling a bicycle helmet manufacturer they must provide homeless people with a helmet free of charge? Wearing the helmet may lessen the possibility of serious injury (thus saving taxpayer dollars). Ergo, we are looking out for the safety of the homeless person and the possible high medical costs the taxpayers would bear.
Even if you buy the notion that the government is doing good, somebody WILL pay for the items being provided "free" to the recipient. Who will pay?
If you are okay with what the government is doing, how would you like it if someone came along and said you must start providing your services free? Let's say you're a nurse, or a school teacher or policeman. You've been trained, receive a paycheck and benefits for your services, but healthcare, education and public safety are basic human rights. Therefore, the government has decided that to help provide those services, you must work 8 hours per week for free in, say a home health service organization. Or if you're a teacher, you must provide 8 hours per week of free tutoring to at-risk kids, or if you're the police officer, you must do 8 hours of work in a troubled neighborhood. This is not voluntary. You must do this or be fined by the government. How would you like that?
Bottom line; the United States Constitution does not give the President, nor the Federal Government, the authority to force companies to give goods or services away. If we don't recognize this now, we willingly give over to the government the power to dictate anything and everything. It IS that important.
