Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Letter to the editor:

No false advertising over health care

In Richard McCord’s July 6 letter, “When is a penalty considered a tax?”, he stated that Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion on the Affordable Care Act “declared” the mandate (i.e., penalty) for failure to comply with the act would be a tax. Mr. McCord also said that Democrats are now in a bind because they promised not to raise taxes but are now trapped by their “own tortured whatever-it-takes arguments.”

First, Roberts did not declare the mandate to be a tax. He “characterized it as a tax,” which Mr. McCord concedes could have been characterized as a penalty when he says “reasonable debate could be had about whether a penalty is a tax.”

Second, while Mr. McCord suggests that Democrats engaged in “false advertising” of the act, Democrats and President Barack Obama have consistently supported health care reform dating back to the 2004 Democratic National Convention, when, as the keynote speaker at the convention, Obama said, “it’s that fundamental belief I am my brother’s keeper. It’s what allows us to come together as an American family. ‘E pluribus unum. Out of many, one.’ ”

Conversely, having taken an oath to legislate and act in the best interests of the nation, Republican legislators abdicated their responsibilities for the solely partisan purpose of defeating President Obama’s agenda.

So, who is guilty of false advertising and why didn’t Republicans previously propose an alternative health care plan instead of predictably demonizing the act in this election year?

Tom Harper, Henderson

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