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View Full Version : Rick Ungar’s big lie: Founders mandated health insurance in 1798!



johnwk
01-29-2011, 01:25 PM
See: Congress Passes Socialized Medicine and Mandates Health Insurance -In 1798 (http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/01/17/congress-passes-socialized-medicine-and-mandates-health-insurance-in-1798/)


Just for the record, I addressed this very issue back in 2009 when another progressive tried to pretend our Founders MANDATED health insurance in 1798. But like a vampire which can't be killed, the same big lie returns over and over again and is panhandled by our big progressive loving media.

To begin with, An Act for the relief of sick and disable seamen (http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=001/llsl001.db&recNum=728) which Rick Ungar refers to was directed at licensed American flag ships engaged in commerce among the States and/or with foreign nations, and also directed at our Navy and its personnel. It had nothing to do with the kind of despotic intrusion our federal government is now attempting with regard to the American People’s decisions and choices regarding their health care needs.

In spite of the actual limitations of the act, the crackpot at forbes, Rick Ungar, writes: ” The law authorized the creation of a government operated marine hospital service and mandated that privately employed sailors be required to purchase health care insurance.”

What Rick Ungar fails to tell his readers is, the sailors he refers to are not merely privately employed sailors, but are employed on ships licensed by the United States and engaged in commerce among the States and/or with foreign nations. Last time I read our Constitution it declares that Congress has power to regulate commerce among the states and with foreign nations.

The legislation reads:


1 § 1. Be it enacted ……. That from and after the first day of September next, the master or owner of every ship or vessel of the United States, arriving from a foreign port into any port of the United States, shall …..

§ 2. That from and after the first day of September next, no collector shall grant to any ship or vessel whose enrollment or license for carrying on the coasting trade has expired, a new enrollment or license, before the master of such ship or vessel shall first render a true account to the collector, of the number of seamen, and the time they have severally been employed on board such ship or vessel, during the continuance of the license which has so expired, and pay to such collector twenty cents per month for every month such seamen have been severally employed as aforesaid ; which sum the said master is hereby authorized to retain out of the wages of such seamen. And if any such master shall render a false account of the number of men, and the length of time they have severally been employed, as is herein required, he shall forfeit and pay one hundred dollars.


It is also to be noted that our beloved Washington Post jumps on Rick Ungar’s bandwagon with an article titled Newsflash: Founders favored "government run health care" (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2011/01/founding_fathers_favored_gover.html) by Greg Sargent, , 01/20/2011

And this propagandist, similar to Rick Ungar, likewise fails to note the act was not directed at “government run health care“, but rather, how to deal with the health care needs of sailors employed on ships licensed by the United States engaged in commerce among the States and with foreign nations . . . a specific subject matter which Congress was granted authority over.

And instead of consulting “a professor of history who specializes in the early republic” Greg Sargent ought to have consulted our founding fathers to determine their intentions as documented in the debates creating the act (http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llac&fileName=008/llac008.db&recNum=86). But heck, why quote the documented intentions and beliefs under which the Act was adopted when one can get a “professor” to weave a tale by association to give credibility to a fraud now being perpetrated upon the American? The fraud being, that Congress has been granted power to regulate the American People’s decisions and choices regarding their health care needs.

JWK

Health care by consent of the governed (Article 5) our amendment process --- tyranny by a PROGRESSIVE (http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=166&ParentID=0&SectionID=4&SectionTree=4&lnk=b&ItemID=164) majority vote in Congress!

johnwk
01-31-2011, 09:11 AM
I am always amused how progressives and others who want to make the Constitution reflect their personal whims and fancies will authoritatively point to the historical record when they think it supports their agenda, as was done by the author of the following article: Congress Passes Socialized Medicine and Mandates Health Insurance -In 1798 (http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/01/17/congress-passes-socialized-medicine-and-mandates-health-insurance-in-1798/)

But when their absurd contentions are in fact refuted by the historical record, they change their mind about relying upon the historical record and start making crap up in addition to inventing words such as “originalism” which they then go on to attack.

The hypocrisy of progressives and others who attack the legislative intent of our Constitution is outdone only by its stupidity.

BTW,

“The fundamental principle of constitutional construction is that effect must be given to the intent of the framers of the organic law and of the people adopting it. This is the polestar in the construction of constitutions, all other principles of construction are only rules or guides to aid in the determination of the intention of the constitution’s framers.”--- numerous citations omitted, Vol.16 American Jurisprudence, 2d Constitutional law (1992 edition), pages 418-19, Par. 92. Intent of framers and adopters as controlling

JWK

Health care by consent of the governed (Article 5) our amendment process --- tyranny by a PROGRESSIVE (http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=166&ParentID=0&SectionID=4&SectionTree=4&lnk=b&ItemID=164) majority vote in Congress!