Charity, ostensibly a central moral and social American institution, is alive and flourishing–online, on crowdfunding sites, as thousands and thousands of perfect strangers and sometimes acquaintances and friends and family, line up to donate to the latest plea for help. (Perhaps someone needs a vital organ transplant, extended chemotherapy and radiation, or a new, life-savingContinue reading “Crowdfunding As Socialized Healthcare”
Tag Archives: Obamacare
‘But Already It Was Impossible To Say Which Was Which’
It is almost accepted wisdom among political punditry that in recent times, American political and cultural life is characterized by two revolutions: the Fiscal Rectitude one and the Cultural License one. The former was won by the Republican party: it is committed to austere deficit reduction and budget balancing by attenuating social programs and tax cutsContinue reading “‘But Already It Was Impossible To Say Which Was Which’”
Richard Epstein’s Overdetermined Critique of the Roberts Ruling
Richard Epstein offers an interesting critique–based on the alleged inseparability of the power to regulate commerce and the power to tax–of John Roberts’ ruling in the ACA case. If it’s not an activity the government can regulate, then it’s not something the government can tax either. Thus, Justice Roberts should have struck down the individualContinue reading “Richard Epstein’s Overdetermined Critique of the Roberts Ruling”
Justice Roberts is Playing a Long Game
Time now to tabulate the damage done by yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling in National Federation of Independent Business et al. vs Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services et al. While Justice Roberts has made himself look extremely distinguished, statesmanlike, non-partisan, and touchingly concerned about his place in posterity, an appraisal that I’m sure he was soakingContinue reading “Justice Roberts is Playing a Long Game”
The End is Nigh: The ACA Is Upheld (Sort Of)
Today’s blog post writing hasn’t gone so well. I thought of writing a post on the correspondence between Voltaire and Rousseau, as a way of reminding ourselves of the 300th birth anniversary of the latter, then, perhaps commenting on the connections between Frankenstein and Romanticism, and then finally, noting Aquinas’ resolution of the theological problemsContinue reading “The End is Nigh: The ACA Is Upheld (Sort Of)”
Samir Chopra 