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Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction in Lawsuit Challenging HHS Mandate

Verdict Blocks Federal Government From Applying Law to Religious For-Profit Company

DENVER, Colorado, JULY 30, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit law firm, announced last Friday that its lawsuits challenging the HHS mandate continue following their victory in another lawsuit, Newland v. Sebelius, brought on behalf of a for-profit company in Colorado, whose owners are religious.

Judge John L. Kane Jr., a senior federal district judge in Colorado granted a preliminary injunction on behalf of a religious for-profit company challenging the HHS mandate. Granting the preliminary injunction prevents the federal government from applying the HHS mandate against the company.

Judge Kane's ruling today in favor of a religious for-profit plaintiff challenging the coercive HHS mandate got the law right. Religious liberty rights don’t stop at the store-front door, said Hannah Smith, Senior Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. This decision portends the demise of the current Administration’s attempts to drive religious activity from the public square and confine it within the four walls of a church.

The Health and Human Services (HHS) federal mandate in question would require employers of religious institutions to be legally required to pay for insurance that provides abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization procedures to employees.

The Newland family – who owns and operates a for-profit company, Hercules Industries, a private HVAC equipment manufacturer – sued to protect its right to administer its self-insured employee plan for its 265 full-time employees in a way that comports with the family’s religious faith.  Its employee health plan does not currently cover abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, or contraceptives, but would have been forced to do so beginning August 1st but for today’s ruling.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty were the first to file lawsuits against the HHS mandate representing 5 clients: Belmont Abbey College, Colorado Christian University, Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), Ave Maria University, and Wheaton College.  There are currently over 20 lawsuits pending around the country against the HHS mandate.

ANOTHER EDITION OF "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 OPINIONS".

• Surrounded by a world of "yellow journalism", with opinion choking every "news"article in the main media outlets, the only newspaper worth reading regularly is the Wall Street Journal. 
• Mitt Romney and the European press: no honeymoon expected there.  They prefer their hand-puppet, the current U.S. President.
• Obama is still lacking a foreign policy success during his tenure.  Even Libya suffered from early hesitation.  And taking out bin Laden was a no-brainer.  Indeed, if he had not taken that opportunity it would have been an impeachable offense, in my opinion.  Look at a map of the world. Any successes? And the on-going Syrian tragedy is a massive failure, while our President blindly worships at the U.N. altar. 
• Mitt Romney is a rich man, mainly a self-made man.  And he makes use of tax laws available to anyone.  What's wrong with that...except in a country with clearly Socialist leanings among one of its two major political parties.
• Meanwhile, Wall Street continues to show that "Business Ethics" is an oxymoron.  What to do? The Dodd - Frank legislation certainly was not the answer.  How about allowing market forces to control results, jailing business perpetrators for long periods of time, fining companies five times what they gained from illegal activities instead of making crime pay with minimal punishments...and restoring Ethics - instead of "situation ethics"  - to the workings of a nation beginning to drown in Secularism. 
• What happened to a rational rating system for entertainment?  It has disappeared...and I am not now referring to Sex.  That's yesterday's story.  I'm referring to VIOLENCE, for violence' sake.  The Aurora, Colorado tragedy comes to mind.  The root cause of these occurrences is not the availability of firearms, but the glorification of violence.  And now we will have to witness a Kabuki Dance related to the defense of James Holmes.  We even have "psychiatrist - patient privilege" in the mix.  Advice: read the landmark Tarasov case regarding this subject. 
• Good news - Bad news: as some public school districts approach bankruptcy - both fiscal and philosophical - the advantages of alternative schooling approaches are being more and more embraced...even by the now desperate public school apologists. 
• Warning: the "Wired Generation" is paradoxically developing into the isolated generation...unable to interact on a face-to face level with their living - and not virtual - human counterparts.  This will result in a massive epidemic of depression and even suicide during their fifth decade - when the stresses of life tend to "hit the fan".  But there is still time: dump the gadgets and hug someone. 

America's Most Biblically-Hostile U. S. President

When one observes President Obama’s unwillingness to accommodate America’s four-century long religious conscience protection through his attempts to require Catholics to go against their own doctrines and beliefs, one is tempted to say that he is anti-Catholic. But that characterization would not be correct. Although he has recently singled out Catholics, he has equally targeted traditional Protestant beliefs over the past four years. So since he has attacked Catholics and Protestants, one is tempted to say that he is anti-Christian. But that, too, would be inaccurate. He has been equally disrespectful in his appalling treatment of religious Jews in general and Israel in particular. So perhaps the most accurate description of his antipathy toward Catholics, Protestants, religious Jews, and the Jewish nation would be to characterize him as anti-Biblical. And then when his hostility toward Biblical people of faith is contrasted with his preferential treatment of Muslims and Muslim nations, it further strengthens the accuracy of the anti-Biblical descriptor. In fact, there have been numerous clearly documented times when his pro-Islam positions have been the cause of his anti-Biblical actions.

Listed below in chronological order are (1) numerous records of his attacks on Biblical persons or organizations; (2) examples of the hostility toward Biblical faith that have become evident in the past three years in the Obama-led military; (3) a listing of his open attacks on Biblical values; and finally (4) a listing of numerous incidents of his preferential deference for Islam’s activities and positions, including letting his Islamic advisors guide and influence his hostility toward people of Biblical faith.

1. Acts of hostility toward people of Biblical faith:

• April 2008 – Obama speaks disrespectfully of Christians, saying they “cling to guns or religion” and have an “antipathy to people who aren't like them.” ¹
• February 2009 – Obama announces plans to revoke conscience protection for health workers who refuse to participate in medical activities that go against their beliefs, and fully implements the plan in February 2011. ² 
• April 2009 – When speaking at Georgetown University, Obama orders that a monogram symbolizing Jesus' name be covered when he is making his speech. ³
• May 2009 – Obama declines to host services for the National Prayer Day (a day established by federal law) at the White House. ⁴ 
• April 2009 – In a deliberate act of disrespect, Obama nominated three pro-abortion ambassadors to the Vatican; of course, the pro-life Vatican rejected all three. ⁵ 
• October 19, 2010 – Obama begins deliberately omitting the phrase about “the Creator” when quoting the Declaration of Independence – an omission he has made on no less than seven occasions. ⁶ 
• November 2010 – Obama misquotes the National Motto, saying it is “E pluribus unum” rather than “In God We Trust” as established by federal law. ⁷ 
• January 2011 – After a federal law was passed to transfer a WWI Memorial in the Mojave Desert to private ownership, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the cross in the memorial could continue to stand, but the Obama administration refused to allow the land to be transferred as required by law, and refused to allow the cross to be re-erected as ordered by the Court. ⁸ 
• February 2011 – Although he filled posts in the State Department, for more than two years Obama did not fill the post of religious freedom ambassador, an official that works against religious persecution across the world; he filled it only after heavy pressure from the public and from Congress. ⁹ 
• April 2011 – For the first time in American history, Obama urges passage of a non-discrimination law that does not contain hiring protections for religious groups, forcing religious organizations to hire according to federal mandates without regard to the dictates of their own faith, thus eliminating conscience protection in hiring. ¹⁰ 
• August 2011 – The Obama administration releases its new health care rules that override religious conscience protections for medical workers in the areas of abortion and contraception. ¹¹ 
• November 2011 – Obama opposes inclusion of President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous D-Day Prayer in the WWII Memorial. ¹² 
• November 2011 – Unlike previous presidents, Obama studiously avoids any religious references in his Thanksgiving speech. ¹³ 
• December 2011 – The Obama administration denigrates other countries' religious beliefs as an obstacle to radical homosexual rights. ¹⁴ 
• January 2012 – The Obama administration argues that the First Amendment provides no protection for churches and synagogues in hiring their pastors and rabbis. ¹⁵ 
• February 2012 – The Obama administration forgives student loans in exchange for public service, but announces it will no longer forgive student loans if the public service is related to religion. ¹⁶

2. Acts of hostility from the Obama-led military toward people of Biblical faith:

• June 2011 – The Department of Veterans Affairs forbids references to God and Jesus during burial ceremonies at Houston National Cemetery. ¹⁷ 
• August 2011 – The Air Force stops teaching the Just War theory to officers in California because the course is taught by chaplains and is based on a philosophy introduced by St. Augustine in the third century AD – a theory long taught by civilized nations across the world (except America). ¹⁸ 
• September 2011 – Air Force Chief of Staff prohibits commanders from notifying airmen of programs and services available to them from chaplains. ¹⁹ 
• September 2011 – The Army issues guidelines for Walter Reed Medical Center stipulating that “No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading materials and/or facts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.” ²⁰
• November 2011 – The Air Force Academy rescinds support for Operation Christmas Child, a program to send holiday gifts to impoverished children across the world, because the program is run by a Christian charity. ²¹
• November 2011 – The Air Force Academy pays $80,000 to add a Stonehenge-like worship center for pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans. ²²
• February 2012 – The U. S. Military Academy at West Point disinvites three star Army general and decorated war hero Lieutenant General William G. (“Jerry”) Boykin (retired) from speaking at an event because he is an outspoken Christian. ²³
• February 2012 – The Air Force removes “God” from the patch of Rapid Capabilities Office (the word on the patch was in Latin: Dei). ²⁴
• February 2012 – The Army orders Catholic chaplains not to read a letter to parishioners that their archbishop asked them to read. ²⁵
• April 2012 – A checklist for Air Force Inns will no longer include ensuring that a Bible is available in rooms for those who want to use them.²⁶
• May 2012 - The Obama administration opposes legislation to protect the rights of conscience for military chaplains who do not wish to perform same-sex marriages in violation of their strongly-held religious beliefs.²⁷
• June 2012 - Bibles for the American military have been printed in every conflict since the American Revolution, but the Obama Administration revokes the long-standing U. S. policy of allowing military service emblems to be placed on those military Bibles.²⁸

3. Acts of hostility toward Biblical values:

• January 2009 – Obama lifts restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, forcing taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations.²⁹
• January 2009 – President Obama’s nominee for deputy secretary of state asserts that American taxpayers are required to pay for abortions and that limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional. ³⁰
• March 2009 – The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit. ³¹
• March 2009 – Obama orders taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.³²
• March 2009 – Obama gave $50 million for the UNFPA, the UN population agency that promotes abortion and works closely with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations. ³³
• May 2009 – The White House budget eliminates all funding for abstinence-only education and replaces it with “comprehensive” sexual education, repeatedly proven to increase teen pregnancies and abortions. ³⁴ He continues the deletion in subsequent budgets. ³⁵
• May 2009 – Obama officials assemble a terrorism dictionary calling pro-life advocates violent and charging that they use racism in their “criminal” activities.³⁶
• July 2009 – The Obama administration illegally extends federal benefits to same-sex partners of Foreign Service and Executive Branch employees, in direction violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. ³⁷
• September 16, 2009 – The Obama administration appoints as EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum, who asserts that society should “not tolerate” any “private beliefs,” including religious beliefs, if they may negatively affect homosexual “equality.” ³⁸
• July 2010 – The Obama administration uses federal funds in violation of federal law to get Kenya to change its constitution to include abortion. ³⁹
• August 2010 – The Obama administration Cuts funding for 176 abstinence education programs. ⁴⁰
• September 2010 – The Obama administration tells researchers to ignore a judge’s decision striking down federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.⁴¹
• February 2011 – Obama directs the Justice Department to stop defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act. ⁴²
• March 2011 – The Obama administration refuses to investigate videos showing Planned Parenthood helping alleged sex traffickers get abortions for victimized underage girls. ⁴³
• July 2011 – Obama allows homosexuals to serve openly in the military, reversing a policy originally instituted by George Washington in March 1778. ⁴⁴
• September 2011 – The Pentagon directs that military chaplains may perform same-sex marriages at military facilities in violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. ⁴⁵
• October 2011 – The Obama administration eliminates federal grants to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for their extensive programs that aid victims of human trafficking because the Catholic Church is anti-abortion. ⁴⁶

4. Acts of preferentialism for Islam:

• May 2009 – While Obama does not host any National Day of Prayer event at the White House, he does host White House Iftar dinners in honor of Ramadan. ⁴⁷
• April 2010 – Christian leader Franklin Graham is disinvited from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer Event because of complaints from the Muslim community. ⁴⁸
• April 2010 – The Obama administration requires rewriting of government documents and a change in administration vocabulary to remove terms that are deemed offensive to Muslims, including jihad, jihadists, terrorists, radical Islamic, etc. ⁴⁹
• August 2010 – Obama speaks with great praise of Islam and condescendingly of Christianity. ⁵⁰
• August 2010 – Obama went to great lengths to speak out on multiple occasions on behalf of building an Islamic mosque at Ground Zero, while at the same time he was silent about a Christian church being denied permission to rebuild at that location. ⁵¹
• 2010 – While every White House traditionally issues hundreds of official proclamations and statements on numerous occasions, this White House avoids traditional Biblical holidays and events but regularly recognizes major Muslim holidays, as evidenced by its 2010 statements on Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, and Eid-ul-Adha. ⁵²
• October 2011 – Obama’s Muslim advisers block Middle Eastern Christians’ access to the White House. ⁵³
• February 2012 – The Obama administration makes effulgent apologies for Korans being burned by the U. S. military, ⁵⁴ but when Bibles were burned by the military, numerous reasons were offered why it was the right thing to do. ⁵⁵

As I have already noted, the candidates' and media commentaries during this critical election season leave less fresh meat for me to offer.  And you all recognize my preference for much (but not all) of the reportage in the Wall Street Journal over that of the New York Times.  But a few articles are worth underlining.

• "What's Really Behind The Entitlement Crisis", by Ben J. Wattenberg, WSJ Friday, July 13, 2012, Opinion pA11.
• "The Tax Cliff Is A Growth Killer", by Arthur Laffer and Ford M. Scudder, WSJ Monday, July 16, 2012, Opinion pA13.
• "Obama lets The U.N. Tie His Hands On Syria", by Douglas J. Feith, ibid.
• "Radical Islamists Wage Muslim Civil War In Africa", by Melik Kaylan, WSJ Saturday-Sunday, July 14,15, 2012, Opinion pA13.

Israeli Psychologist on Obama

Dr. Sam Vaknin is an Israeli psychologist. Interesting view on our president.

Now that the dust has settled, I’ve come to realize after analyzing the whole situation that my opposition to Obamacare/ObamaTax is multi-faceted: it will break the country, it is not affordable, it limits rather than increases access to quality health care, it contains 20+ built in tax increases to pay for a system that doesn’t work, etc., etc. I could go on and on, ad nauseum- after all the actual Obamacare/ObamaTax contains thousands of pages in content. However, as a 56 year old, soon to be Senior, the very idea of removing at least $500 Billion from the Medicare coffers is particularly disturbing

1.      No New Taxes were required to implement the Massachusetts plan. 
Obamacare/ObamaTax requires $1 Trillion in tax increases (only a small percentage due to the mandate), almost 75% of which is to be borne by middle income Americans making less than $120,000. There are a total of 20+ taxes associated with the Obamacare/ObamaTax legislation. Mandatory taxes to pay for this gargantuan ineffectual system. There are so many tax ramifications that the IRS who will be enforcing these taxes is hiring a minimum of 16,000….that’s right 16,000 new enforcement agents to make sure you pay your share of these 20+ new taxes.

2.     Massachusetts used Medicare and Medicaid funds to provide insurance for those unable to buy insurance.  Not only does the Federal government have no one to provide those extra funds besides the taxpayer, Obamacare/ObamaTax calls for actually cutting $500 billion from Medicare, most of which will be done by gutting Medicare supplemental insurance for those who have no other place to turn.

3.     The Massachusetts plan actually saved money during the term of Governor Romney. 
Not until changes to the plan were made under Governor Duval Patrick (an Obama supporter, and one Obama’s “idols”) did it cost the state money.  Obamacare/ObamaTax was scored at losing money beginning the first week after it passed.  It’s been revised upward three times, without any changes, from a $900 billion loss, to a $1.2 trillion loss, to a $2.7 trillion loss by the Congressional Budget Office.

4.     The Massachusetts plan did not require religious organizations to violate the tenets of their beliefs. 
In fact, the Boston Archdiocese is part of the lawsuit against Obamacare/ObamaTax for violating their religious freedoms.

5.     Massachusetts expanded only one department to facilitate their health care plan. 
Obamacare/ObamaTax creates 159 NEW government agencies at a cost exceeding $1.7 trillion.

6.     There are very few exemptions to the Massachusetts plans—mainly conscience objections. 
The Obama administration has given thousands of exemptions, almost entirely to Union and other supporters of his re-election campaign.  If it’s so good, why do they need exemptions?

7.      States are allowed under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to implement mandatory healthcare.  The Supreme Court found that Obamacare/ObamaTax could NOT be implemented under Article 7 of the Constitution, but only as a right under Congress’ inherent TAXING AUTHORITY.  Taxes must be raised to implement the mandate.

8.     Mitt Romney proposed the Massachusetts plan.  He sent it to a Democratic House and Senate, where they made changes, and he worked with them to decide which changes would be acceptable before he would sign it.  Obama proposed Obamacare/ObamaTax, sent it to a Democratic Congress, who refused ALL changes requested by the opposition.  In order to get it passed, a tax bill was COMPLETELY gutted, and the entire Obamacare/ObamaTax bill was substituted in its place in order to pass the bill that otherwise could not have passed.  In fact, Mitt Romney has promised to help overturn Obamacare/ObamaTax as one of his first acts as President because of its cost, intrusiveness, and detrimental effects on the country.

10. In fact, the only similarity is that both the Massachusetts law and Obamacare/ObamaTax call for everyone to have healthcare.  Obamacare/ObamaTax does not even provide the same levels of service as Massachusetts’ plans for the estimate $2.7 TRILLION in deficits it will incur. Obamacare/ObamaTax calls for a European style panel to decide if treatment should be provided as “cost effective,” as the British and Canadian plans do.  Both of these plans have recently announced they will no longer provide any treatment for 11 forms of cancer after age 65, including prostate and breast cancer, because it isn’t cost effective—but they aren’t death panels, right

Thomas Jefferson

This is amazing. There are two parts. Be sure to read the 2nd part (in RED).

Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.

At 5, began studying under his cousin's tutor.

At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.

At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.

At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.

At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.

At 23, started his own law practice.

At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.

At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America ” and retired from his law practice.

At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.

At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence .

At 33, took three years to revise Virginia ’s legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.

At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.

At 40, served in Congress for two years.

At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.

At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.

At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.

At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party (originally known as the Democratic-Republican Party).

At 57, was elected the third president of the United States .

At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation's size.

At 61, was elected to a second term as President.

At 65, retired to Monticello .

At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.

At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.

At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams

Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future:

John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe ." -- Thomas Jefferson

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

Thomas Jefferson

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."

Thomas Jefferson

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

Thomas Jefferson

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." 

Thomas Jefferson

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." 

Thomas Jefferson

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

Thomas Jefferson

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." 

Thomas Jefferson

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.

Krauthammer--Obamacare - Brilliant

June 28, 2012
To all my friends, particularly those conservatives who are despondent over the searing betrayal by Chief Justice John Roberts and the pending demise of our beloved country, I offer this perspective to convey some profound hope and evidence of the Almighty’s hand in the affairs of men in relation to the Supreme Court’s decision on Obamacare.

I initially thought we had cause for despondency when I only heard the results of the decision and not the reason or the make-up of the sides. I have now read a large portion of the decision and I believe that it was precisely the result that Scalia, Alito, Thomas, Roberts and even Kennedy wanted and not a defeat for conservatism or the rule of law. I believe the conservatives on the court have run circles around the liberals and demonstrated that the libs are patently unqualified to be on the Supreme Court. Let me explain.

First let me assure you that John Roberts is a conservative and he is not dumb, mentally unstable, diabolical, a turncoat, a Souter or even just trying to be too nice. He is a genius along with the members of the Court in the dissent. The more of the decision I read the more remarkable it became. It is not obvious and it requires a passable understanding of Constitutional law but if it is explained anyone can see the beauty of it.

The decision was going to be a 5-4 decision no matter what, so the allegation that the decision was a partisan political decision was going to be made by the losing side and their supporters. If the bill was struck down completely with Roberts on the other side there would have been a national and media backlash against conservatives and probably strong motivation for Obama supporters to come out and vote in November. With today’s decision that dynamic is reversed and there is a groundswell of support for Romney and Republicans, even for people who were formerly lukewarm toward Romney before today, additionally Romney raised more than 3 million dollars today.

Next, merely striking the law without the support of Democrats and libs would have left the fight over the commerce clause and the “necessary and proper “ clause and the federal government’s role in general festering and heading the wrong way as it has since 1942. As a result of the decision the libs are saying great things about Roberts; how wise, fair and reasonable he is. They would never have said that without this decision, even after the Arizona immigration decision on Monday. In the future when Roberts rules conservatively it will be harder for the left and the media to complain about the Robert’s Court’s fairness. That’s why he as Chief Justice went to the other side for this decision not Scalia, Alito, Thomas or Kennedy, all of whom I believe would have been willing to do it.

Next let’s look at the decision itself. Thankfully Roberts got to write it as Chief Justice and it is a masterpiece. (As I write this the libs don’t even know what has happened; they just think Roberts is great and that they won and we are all going to have free, unlimited healthcare services and we are all going to live happily ever after.) He first emphatically states that Obamacare is unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause saying you cannot make people buy stuff. Then he emphatically states that it is unconstitutional under the “necessary and proper,” clause which only applies to “enumerated powers” in the US Constitution. Justices Ginsberg, Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan all went along with these statements. They never would have gone along with that sentiment if that was the basis for striking the law in total. This is huge because this means that the Court ruled 9-0 that Obamacare was unconstitutional under the Commerce clause which was Obama’s whole defense of the bill. They also ruled 9-0 on the “necessary and proper” clause. Even better, both of these rulings were unnecessary to the decision so it is gravy that we got the libs to concede this and it will make it easier to pare away at both theories in the future, which we must do. Well done.

Roberts, through very tortured reasoning, goes on to find that the taxing law provides the Constitutionality for the law. Virtually everyone agrees that the Federal government has the power to do this as it does with the mortgage deduction for federal income taxes. This too is huge because Obama assiduously avoided using the term “tax” and now he has to admit this law is a tax and it is on everyone, even the poor. That will hurt him hugely in the polls and will help Romney. More importantly though is the fact that this makes this a budgetary issue that can be voted on in the Senate by a mere majority instead of 60 votes needed to stop a filibuster. That means that if the Republicans can gain a majority in the Senate, it can vote to repeal Obamacare in total.

Finally the Court voted 7-2 to strike down the punitive rules that take away money from states that do not expand Medicare as required in Obamacare. This too is huge because we got Kagan and Breyer to join this decision and it can easily be applied to many other cases of extortion the Federal government uses to force states to do things they don’t want to. This is also amazing because Obamacare has no "severability clause," so by striking the Medicaid mandate portion as unconstitutional the whole bill should have been struck. If that happened none of these other benefits would have been accomplished. I haven’t read far enough to know how he did it but I am sure it is brilliant.

So to recap the Roberts court through a brilliant tactical maneuver has: strengthened the limitations of the commerce clause and the necessary and proper clause by a unanimous decision, made Obama raise taxes on the poor and middle classes, converted Obamacare into a tax program repealable with 51 votes in the Senate, enhanced Romney’s and Republican’s fundraising and likelihood of being elected in November, weakened federal extortion, and got the left to love Roberts and sing his praises all without anyone even noticing. Even Obama is now espousing the rule of law just 2 weeks after violating it with his deportation executive order.