Like most of you, I've been sick to my stomach over the Mandate. How could the government force me to hand my hard earned money over to the for-profit (and lots- United Health's CEO made $54 million in 2006) insurance cartels? You can trot out 'risk pool', 'adverse selection', and Paul Krugman all you want- but you know and I know (and 67% of americans know) that the Mandate is fundamentally unjust.
Now then yesterday I caught a small glimmer of hope.
I was reading LiberalPragmatist's proposal on Mandate opt-out yesterday, when an off-hand sentence caught my eye. It turns out that buried in the legalese- there is this interesting clause pertaining to the mandate:
SEC. 5000A(d)(2):
(2) RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS.—
(A) RELIGIOUS CONSCIENCE EXEMPTION.—Such term shall not include any individual for any month if such individual has in effect an exemption under section 1311(d)(4)(H) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which certifies that such individual is a member of a recognized religious sect or division thereof described in section 1402(g)(1) and an adherent of established tenets or teachings of such sect or division as described in such section.
What do we got here? A religious exemption to the Mandate...... Mmmmm.
That night I had a religious vision- and I know it's a religious vision because my sheets were wet and sticky when I woke up. I have been called by the Holy Spaghetti to spread the word of salvation to mankind. Hereby I shall be known as Xe.. Oh- that's taken. Um- Prophet Icemikcoffee !
Heed the word of Prophet Icemilkcoffee and there shall be pies on earth. Ye followers of the truth- heed the two (2) tenets of our new revelation:
- Thou shalt never, ever, pay money to a for-profit healthcare insurer. Lest ye be condemned to an eternal hell where thou art strapped to a Total Gym with Chuck Norris ragging on thee for eternity.
- don't like pancakes
To make it easy - you only need to subscribe to 1 of the 2 tenets- and you'll be a member of the Cult of Prophet Icemikcoffee in good standing. That's it- join my cult, and no more Mandate for you! Say it with me- No More Mandate! Spread the word- No More Mandate!
Epilogue
We have canvassed, we have agitated, we have voted, we have donated, we have called our congressmen, and god knows we have dialoged. We have done everything that is expected of a concerned and informed citizenry. Yet in the end the wishes of the majority is again trampled by the self serving dictates of an elite minority. We have worked within the system. Now it's Monkey Wrench time. They broke our toy. Now we are going to break their toy.