What I don’t want to see: Supremes kill health care “just because”
Ever hears someone else’s idea and instantly think “that’s stupid” or “that’s genius.” And then after saying “that’s stupid/genius,” you begin to put together your argument as to WHY it is stupid or genius? Most everyone makes snap decisions about life’s topics, later putting in the reasoning to justify the decision. I sure hope that doesn’t happen at the Supreme Court.
Last month the United States Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the Obama Administration’s health care reform act. The law, which gives millions of Americans affordable health care, was challenged on the basis that, among other things, the requirement that all Americans purchase health care or face a penalty, was unconstitutional.
Supreme Court justices are human. They carry certain ideologies like everyone else. Justice Scalia, for example, is one of the conservative voices on the bench, if not the conservative voice. Justice Sotomayor, by contrast, is more liberal. Regardless of the ideologies, what I do not want to see are the Justices deciding the health care question based on a quick ideological-based decision with the argument behind it “back-doored” in. The Justices should keep an open mind and answer one question and one question only: Is this law constitutional?
The justices should ignore any past ideologies and follow a path of putting the case law together, analyzing the potential effect the decision will have at each step, and conferring with colleagues, to reach a well-thought out deicsion. I understand that along the way, it will become apparent that different justices will look at the same issue through different windows. But my concern is that Justices like Scalia and Sotomayor have already made up their minds regarding the ultimate decision, and are now trying to find a justification that reaches his or her pre-determined conclusion.