Quote Originally Posted by Metalject View Post
The example I used about saving a strangers life was because many who support the new healthcare legislation do so because they believe it is a moral obligation. Maybe it wasn't the best example to use, but currently it's what comes to mind. If you're going to make an argument based on morality, you can only compare it to other moral situations.

And you're absolutely right, both the EU and U.S. economies are hurting and largely for the same reasons, spending more than they have because of entitlement programs that have continually added up more and more as the years go by. The EU is simply further along this disastrous hole because they've been playing that game longer and are working on a smaller scale, but if it continues, both the EU and U.S. end up with the same disastrous end.

And I am not saying I have a problem paying taxes. Yes, I have a problem with giving 30% of my income to the federal government, plus all the other taxes we pay. That is injustice by any definition, but it's also a separate argument. But in this case, I do have a problem being forced to buy any good or service. Sure, you can call it a tax and that's what the supreme court decided to call it, but the court is not God, and they've made bad calls before and such bad calls have often been reversed in time. The court's decision is not the end all be all set in stone for eternity decision. But yes, I do have a problem paying for a tax that forces me to buy any good or service I do not want and that I did not choose to buy myself. If I wanted to be forced to buy healthcare I would move to one of the other 100 countries in the world that force this.
The bottom line, Obama Care is not a tax no more than owning a slave is a right or prohibiting alcohol is a right the court can enforce. The court once said both were legal but that did not make either right.

On the topic of the EU and U.S. and the economy, I do think we will definitely see a period of time much like pre-WWII where the economy of nearly every country in the world goes into collapse. Possibly worse but it will at least be similar. Neither the EU or U.S. is on the road to recovery by any stretch of the word. But what will be interesting is how both sides react this time. Last time you had very different reactions, the U.S. handled themselves much differently than most of Europe and I wonder if that will repeat.
I understand anyone's frustration for paying for goods and services they don't want, but it is impossible for each citizen to pay taxes and allocate exactly where that money goes. We pay taxes, and the government uses everyone's tax dollars the same. There are people who don't have children and genuinely don't like taxes that help the education system since they don't have a child that will benefit. Does this mean we should eliminate taxes that fund our country's education system just because some people don't want their tax dollars going there? There will always be areas that are funded that a person doesn't necessarily support. Polls have shown that less than half of the American people think "Obamacare" is a bad idea; therefore it is not as universally hated as many try and paint it.