opinion

This cartoon is incomplete. Even after the decision, he continues saying it isn't a tax. Considering that is the only way it was upheld, I feel like this is borderline OJ Simpson-like behavior. "If I HAD done it, this is how I would have done it."

it's an unconstitutional taking of proerty which is unreasonable, and for private use. It doesn't get a whole lot more unconstitutional than that. This is why we need to be able to sanction roge judiciary at any level. SCOTUS has a reputation of "getting it wrong" or acting unethcailly like Kagan voting on ACA lesislation she helped write. Cleaing govet is in all branches needed.

Call it what you want. Without it being called a tax I guess there would be no way to "collect" when they do not want to get Insurance. However, we, the taxpayers, are paying for the Uninsured. Those against this make is sound like ALL the taxpayers taxes will rise. It is the Uninsured that will have higher taxes.

I suppose that if I get pulled over by the cops and don't have auto insurance, that $500 it's gonna cost me is a tax? You can play semantics all day but the result is the same. Repubs need to learn a little personal responsibility - the mandate gets rid of the "free-riders' who'd put all their medical bills on the rest of us. With a mandate, everyone pays their fair share. Listen to Romney's statements when he was gov of Massachusetts - he defends a mandate. That's why we on the left call him Flipper.

Well the Romney campaign said yesterday that it isn't a tax...

Normally I enjoy editorial cartoons but the problem is they don't do justice for complicated issues such as this. Since most of the public won't or can't take the time to really explore the issue, reading this editorial cartoon gives one a completely false understanding of the entire problem. Clearly one of the biggest flaws in our society today are sound bites and tweets. If that is all one knows about the healthcare issue, then this cartoon is not very funny and leads to some of the odd and frankly incorrect assessments being written as comments.

So... can I assume all those who were outraged at yesterday's political cartoon and called the Strib a "liberal rag" are going to see this and take back their knee-jerk reaction to any and all criticisms of conservatism? Yeah... didn't think so. It's hilarious how often the media's "liberal bias" is lamented when it's simply not true.

Congress passed a law, the President signed it, and the Supreme Court upheld it, therefore we must repeal it.<--GOP Logic.

Well, it's no wonder, since the Republicans and right wing conservatives all only have one paint brush, a really wide one, and they paint all matters with one broad stroke (and usually only with white paint). They are totally incapable of discriminating fine details or any details at all. That's why they keep saying that "All Americans" will have to pay the penalty, when, in fact, it will only be those who could afford to purchase the health insurance but CHOOSE not to.

Who pays for medical care if u don't have insurance? U owe the hospital. U can choose to pay or not. Where does ur ins premium go if u don't use the ins? The insurance co keeps the premium if no claims come in. Or less claims than premiums.