While the achievement of marriage equality will be a tremendous step, it comes at a time when an extended recession has drawn attention to the economic fragility of contemporary families. When two parents are required to support a child (or when only one is available), the consequences of unemployment or underemployment can be devastating for…
Health Care
Judicial Activism
As a follow up to my last piece and the blog entry by James Fallows, I’d like to address the balance between ideology and deference in the Supreme Court. Fallows is upset that justices who claimed a fealty to precedent are now going “out of their way … to decree new law contrary to what…
The Constitution Basis for a Federal Health Care System
Having now outlined my fundamental views on the Constitution, this post seems a bit superfluous. But perhaps it will serve as a useful example. In case you’ve forgotten by now, this is part of a series on health care. You can find the initial post and links to the others in the series here. As a…
The Foundations of My Constitutional Beliefs
Jacob asked me to explain why I think it’s acceptable for the federal government to get involved in health care, education, etc. In many ways, this gets to the central purpose of the whole blog, but I think it’s worth trying to give a more succinct answer to the specific issues he raised. So here is a…
Structuring National Health Care in America
I’ll be honest in admitting that a part of me, from time to time, thinks that we should just adopt a single-payer, nationalized health care system like that of the UK. There are some wonderful arguments for equality and gains to be made through standardization. Believing that we’re ready to move basic health care from…
A Better Constitutional Basis for National Health Care
One of the things that bothers me about the ACA/Obamacare is that it relies heavily on the Commerce Clause of the constitution rather than the government’s power to levy taxes. This is also the weakness that the Supreme Court may exploit in striking down the law. The Commerce Clause In part, the choice to rely…
Extending the Promise of America to More Americans
In September of 2009, on the eve of a speech that President Obama gave before a joint session of Congress, I wrote my own version of what I hoped he’d argue. It still captures much of what I consider the best arguments for a federal health care system, based upon the logic of the Declaration…
Health Care: Balancing Citizenship and Capitalism
As I have argued previously (see here, here, and here), the United States has been shaped by two great organizing models: capitalism and citizenship. Capitalism has provided the U.S. with one of the most dynamic economic engines in the world over the last century and more. Citizenship has made us a shining political beacon, a nation founded on…
National Health Care
This is a tricky series of posts to write because of our current partisan atmosphere. The fight over and passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010 (“Obamacare”) has severely divided the nation. In fact, it has transformed health care into perhaps the best example of the distorting effect of partisanship in…
Updates on Education and Health Care
Two notes looking backward and forward: Education – I was interested to read today this op-ed in the Washington Post and response by Dean Dad. I found this statement by David C. Levy particularly gauling: “Even in the unlikely event that they devote an equal amount of time to grading and class preparation…” Makes me…