Justice Scalia's Broccoli Woes
"Could you define the market -- everybody has to buy food sooner or later, so you define the market as food, therefore, everybody is in the market; therefore, you can make people buy broccoli," Scalia asked during the second day of oral arguments.
Scalia's witty argument attempts to draw an analogy between forcing people to buy broccoli and forcing people (and employers, etc.) to buy into government-regulated and mandated healthcare programs.
What do you think WSO? If the government is going to force us to have health insurance of some sort, they might as well go two steps ahead and get us all to eat healthy foods like broccoli, right?







I'm sure Scalia is more
I'm sure Scalia is more intelligent than this quote gives off. I'm a fucking teenager and I could make him look like a dipshit for asking the question.
Is the price of broccoli grossly inflated relative to other goods? If we go to the market to buy broccoli, can we see the price? Does everyone pay the same price, or do some people pay more for broccoli? Can I be prevented from buying broccoli by being unfairly priced out of the market due to a situation out of my control (I have three kids that REALLY like broccoli, for example)?
Scalia votes one way, and he'll do that in this case. He might as well be ignored altogether.
Bro, requiring to purchase
Bro, requiring to purchase healthcare is clearly Constitutional under the commerce clause.
You are saying they don't have the right to require every one to buy it, you are out of touch with the constitution.
Also, I bet any one who tries to argue with moi will have to use personal opinion, if you do GL I'm bringing my A game to this discussion.
Come at me.
elephonky wrote: I'm sure
I'm sure Scalia is more intelligent than this quote gives off. I'm a fucking teenager and I could make him look like a dipshit for asking the question.
Is the price of broccoli grossly inflated relative to other goods? If we go to the market to buy broccoli, can we see the price? Does everyone pay the same price, or do some people pay more for broccoli? Can I be prevented from buying broccoli by being unfairly priced out of the market due to a situation out of my control (I have three kids that REALLY like broccoli, for example)?
Scalia votes one way, and he'll do that in this case. He might as well be ignored altogether.
Hey, this argument makes no sense and I have no clue where you are going with this.
/next
blastoise wrote: Bro,
Bro, requiring to purchase healthcare is clearly Constitutional under the commerce clause.
You are saying they don't have the right to require every one to buy it, you are out of touch with the constitution.
Also, I bet any one who tries to argue with moi will have to use personal opinion, if you do GL I'm bringing my A game to this discussion.
Come at me.
You always comment on my threads, yet I never understand what you're saying... :(
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elephonky wrote: I'm sure
I'm sure Scalia is more intelligent than this quote gives off. I'm a fucking teenager
stopped reading at this point.
Its an idiotic argument from
Its an idiotic argument from a dolt.
The government already imposes "health" penalties through taxes on alcohol, tobacco, etc.
Surprised he used Broccoli
Surprised he used Broccoli and not some sort of baked good for his example.
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
blastoise wrote: elephonky
I'm sure Scalia is more intelligent than this quote gives off. I'm a fucking teenager and I could make him look like a dipshit for asking the question.
Is the price of broccoli grossly inflated relative to other goods? If we go to the market to buy broccoli, can we see the price? Does everyone pay the same price, or do some people pay more for broccoli? Can I be prevented from buying broccoli by being unfairly priced out of the market due to a situation out of my control (I have three kids that REALLY like broccoli, for example)?
Scalia votes one way, and he'll do that in this case. He might as well be ignored altogether.
Hey, this argument makes no sense and I have no clue where you are going with this.
/next
Scalia asks about broccoli, which bears little resemblance to health care. I pose questions in an attempt to make the broccoli market seem similar to health care, which fails miserably because broccoli is nothing like health care.
I'm sure Scalia is more intelligent than this quote gives off. I'm a fucking teenager
stopped reading at this point.
Ah yes, I forgot, we have some Goldman Sachs people on the forum. I'll dumb down my language next time so you can understand.
Don't discredit my post because of my age, and I won't discredit your integrity and/or intelligence because you work for Goldman Sachs. Sound fair?
elephonky wrote: Don't
Don't discredit my post because of my age, and I won't discredit your integrity and/or intelligence because you work for Goldman Sachs. Sound fair?
I find this to be really funny...sorry if no one else does.
"An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Check out my blog!
The government has every
The government has every right to do this as long as they call it a tax, which is exactly what it is. Obama took the path of least resistance and called it a mandate or fine. It should and pray to god will get thrown out.
Government has no right to force someone to buy something from a private party. This is what the health mandate is.
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ANT wrote: The government has
The government has every right to do this as long as they call it a tax, which is exactly what it is. Obama took the path of least resistance and called it a mandate or fine. It should and pray to god will get thrown out.
Government has no right to force someone to buy something from a private party. This is what the health mandate is.
Then your in favor of a public insurance system?
Me, personally, I am in favor
Me, personally, I am in favor of doing everything else to try and reduce costs and allow people to self insure. We will always have people with health issues that need government health insurance (aka subsidized help).
Listen, I have a sister with heart issues so I know full well what happens with illness and insurance. I have zero issue paying taxes to support people with cancer, life long illnesses, etc. Private business, with the profit motive, is not going to insure people like this.
With that said, we don't need government taking over things for the vast majority of people. This is about control and power, nothing else. There are countless ways that lower costs for people without insurance. What Obama has proposed is not the answer.
Forget insurance. The fact that we are now ok with the government forcing people to buy something from a private company is unfounded. People need to think long term with this. What is next once this precedence is established. I realize people in other countries see no issue with this, but this is America and this is a bold move. Obama could have called this a tax and there would have been no interstate commerce issue. If the SCOTUS approves of this they will be setting a dangerous precedence when it comes to what the Fed govt can force private citizens to purchase.
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ANT wrote: The government has
The government has every right to do this as long as they call it a tax, which is exactly what it is. Obama took the path of least resistance and called it a mandate or fine. It should and pray to god will get thrown out.
Government has no right to force someone to buy something from a private party. This is what the health mandate is.
HAHAHA is it really not labeled as a tax ?!?! LOL oh shit that would be funny that is a game changer, unless you are lying
elephonky wrote: gstackle32
I'm sure Scalia is more intelligent than this quote gives off. I'm a fucking teenager
stopped reading at this point.
Ah yes, I forgot, we have some Goldman Sachs people on the forum. I'll dumb down my language next time so you can understand.
Don't discredit my post because of my age, and I won't discredit your integrity and/or intelligence because you work for Goldman Sachs. Sound fair?
Ok, I'll discredit your post because your analysis of the market for broccoli is idiotic and because you come off as a little twat. Sound fair?
gstackle32 wrote: elephonky
I'm sure Scalia is more intelligent than this quote gives off. I'm a fucking teenager
stopped reading at this point.
Ah yes, I forgot, we have some Goldman Sachs people on the forum. I'll dumb down my language next time so you can understand.
Don't discredit my post because of my age, and I won't discredit your integrity and/or intelligence because you work for Goldman Sachs. Sound fair?
Ok, I'll discredit your post because your analysis of the market for broccoli is idiotic and because you come off as a little twat. Sound fair?
It's not an analysis of the broccoli market, it's an application of health care market realities to the broccoli market in an attempt to cast doubt on Scalia's analogy. You can't just take any private market and pretend the health insurance market relates. Sure, on a fundamental level (and for the purposes of Scalia's very conservative ends) the broccoli analogy is an appropriate means; at first glance you'd argue "of course the government can't force people to eat broccoli, that'd be idiotic!" and that's exactly what Scalia wants. Unfortunately, there's a solid argument that anyone with half a brain can make that health insurance is a special case, and is (surprise!) nothing like broccoli.
What are your views on his analogy then? All you've done in this thread is bash my posts and not provide any constructive thoughts of your own.
ANT wrote: Me, personally, I
ANT wrote: Me, personally, I
I guess when we buy insurance
Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays
1) It should be called a tax
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ANT wrote: 1) It should be
Where was I talking about a
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ANT wrote: Where was I
ANT wrote: Where was I
You doubt that a basic tenant
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
National defense and its
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ANT, just out of curiosity,
Perfectly fine. I am selling
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ANT wrote: Perfectly fine. I
Eleph that is your argument?
Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays
I'm not going to get into the
elephonky wrote: ANT
txjustin wrote: elephonky
happypantsmcgee wrote: You
Not this country. Maybe
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ANT wrote: National defense
ANT wrote: Not this country.
I'm pretty tired of this
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
It looks like this will be
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The US can't balance a budget
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happypantsmcgee wrote: I'm
ANT wrote: The US can't
You brought up Switzerland
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
The military is run well,
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Why is the VA poorly run?
Check out my WSO Blog
Are you kidding? The VA is
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ANT wrote: Are you kidding?
ANT wrote: The military is
happypantsmcgee wrote: You
TheMasao wrote: ANT
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ANT wrote: TheMasao