Miss Cellania, you are correct that insurance company bureaucrats are making those decisions now. And they are beholden to me, the customer. If I don't like their product, I can take my business elsewhere. I also have the option of paying for health care out of pocket in a free-market system. And, yes, I realize insurance is heavily regulated (don't like the government regulations? Congratulations - we just put those folks in charge of the whole enchilada), the point about choice stands. Under Obamacare, only certain plans are allowed that will be determined by federal decree. I'm sure government control will do wonders for our health care system. Just look at how well Social Security is run! It's only projected to go bankrupt in 5-7 years!

iron-hands, charity is the correct answer. Not coercion at the hands of bumbling politicians.

Rooboy, in case you hadn't noticed, when world leaders from other nations need the best treatment, they come to the USA. Medically, scientifically, our health care is the greatest in the history of the world. What's broken is the economic, payment side. The ACA does not fix that problem, but only exacerbates it by increasing government regulation.

All of the above ignore the fact that the decision handed down was terribly reasoned. CJ Roberts determined that, in order to get what he wanted, the text of the law would be interpreted contrary to its very specific meaning. The precedent set, that the gov't can compel any type of behavior through taxation, is dangerous and antithetical to the purpose of the Constitution.

/rant.

People talk about "free" this and "free" that and "being subsidized". My friends, NOTHING is free. It is all paid for somewhere by someone. Simply because you want it does not mean you have the right to force someone else to give it to you. At least that was true until this morning.

People want to see doctors and nurses paid by the government. Well, friends, let's think that through. If the government is paying the bills, the government is calling the shots. Some bureaucrat in an office somewhere would be deciding what health care services you can receive. You want more or different care? Not your call, pal.

What today's Supreme Court decision means is that the federal government, in all of their infinite wisdom, may now compel any behavior they like through penalties, erm, I mean, taxes. It means that the power of the federal government is no longer constrained by the Constitution. Our liberty and freedom is now explicitly and only what temporary politicians decide that it is.

It was a nice run while it lasted.

Global "Climate Change" Alarmist religionists won't be happy until we're all living in pre-industrial conditions with 40-year life expectancies. I'll suffer a little soot with my extra-long growing season.

Eating healthy foods and engaging in exercise is a personal responsibility. I fear the government with the power to control what I eat or force me to work out.

That looks allsome. Does the excessively perky cyclist come with it? How about the smarmy guy who's still reading a printed newspaper?

You say "free", I say "involuntarily funded by taxpayers who are then left at the mercy of bureaucrats to decide what care is available to whom".

To-may-to, to-mah-to.

Adding the antenna to the height of the tower is cheating. The record should be decided by the altitude of the top occupied floor.

The "moat" of ocean may not be a help if a horde of zombies attacks. They're not alive, so they don't need to breathe, so they can casually stroll along the ocean bottom and right up to your island front door. Depending on the shark appetite for zombie meat and the effects of water pressure on undead flesh, you may be just as exposed as on that bucolic farm.

Having been on a subway when a homeless man used the door as a urinal, I don't think that -1 is a sufficient penalty for that violation. Should be more like -10.

Friedman is a buffoon who routinely expresses his admiration of the Chinese communist state. You know, the ones who brought you hits like the Tienamen Square Massacre and Starving Millions and Forced Abortions. His envy of resource-poor nations is just as stupid. Managed properly, they are a boon. Managed improperly, they are a curse. It has infinitely more to do with the governing body than the resources themselves.

The more federal aid increases, the more tuition increases. The universities are going to consume all of the federal aid available - they're not going to leave it "on the table". Pumping more and more dollars into higher education is simply inflation - there's not a corresponding increase in the quality of the product. Similar to what we've seen in government education at the elementary and secondary levels.

Methinks Craig doth protest too much.

Surferdude, your claim that obesity treatment and prevention is the provenance of the U.S. government is frighteningly ignorant. The duties of the federal government are spelled out in this, like, really old document called the Constitution. I've read through it and couldn't find the part about commanding we citizens not to eat Ho-Hos. Monitoring an adult's health is his or her own responsibility.

Also, the girl in the middle is fat.

Nerd culture has achieved an MBA, gentlemen! Huzzah!

When that "unbreakable" glass shatters, the heavy flow of water will certainly help the initial clean-up of the internal organs that splash across the pavement below.