PP&ACA Goes to Court, Again

For John, BLUF:  Do it right or don't do it at all.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Another academic law professor, this time Professor Randy Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory, Georgetown University Law Center, and Director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, writing at The Volokh Conspiracy, embedded in The Washington Post, gives us "Another “specious” defense of Obamacare".  Professor Barnett makes the case for why the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Reid/Pelosi Care), as legislation, is a violation of the US Constitution, Article I, Section 7, Clause 1, the Origination Clause.

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

The person he is arguing against, in this case, is The New York Times.♠  The Times is its normal dismissive self with an "editorial tendentiously titled 'More Specious Attacks on Reform'."

I am with Professor Barnett in this case.  If we keep making little exceptions, small allowances, as to how the US Constitution works we will soon find that we don't have a Constitution.  Those 535 folks on Capitol Hill need to get it right and make it law in the right way.  No exceptions because "you were trying to do the right thing".  As they say, The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

We need health care reform, but we need to do it right.  And in way fewer pages, so we don't believe there are a lot of payoffs embedded in the bill.

Regards  —  Cliff

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Which appears to be part of the "War on Women", at least if you ask Ms Jill Abramson, late of The Old Gray Lady.