THE U.S. Supreme Court upheld the first national healthcare law since President Theodore Roosevelt first introduced a similar program more than 100 years ago. President Barack Obama – along with Congress – accomplished this feat in 2010. As Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times on June 29: "The real winners are ordinary Americans – people like you." Congratulations!

The central idea of the new law (Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act aka “Obamacare”) is the individual mandate that everyone must help pay for health care. Everyone, sooner or later, needs medical attention. The law requires all to have healthcare insurance, whether a person would choose it or not. Congress has under the Constitution the power to tax; therefore, those who would say "no" and choose not to purchase insurance would under this new law pay a "financial penalty." Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote in the majority decision: "Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness."

The chief benefits already in effect: no person enrolled in a healthcare plan can be dropped by the insurer, no person with a pre-existing health condition can be denied health insurance coverage, and for those employed with a health plan who lose their job – they continue being covered. For those presently without any healthcare plan (estimated by the Congressional Budget Office at about 30 million people by 2014) will also be covered under Obamacare.

Authorities, historical and judicial, have characterized this deed by President Obama as another step in humanizing our economic system and reaching the heights of F.D.R.'s Social Security and L.B.J.'s Medicare. The recent decision by the Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Health Care law provides us a clear view of President Obama's agenda: Government is a force for good deeds. Government can protect and advance the working and middle classes, which have been part of his agenda throughout his first term.

This positive view of government stands in stark contrast to many ultra-conservatives and members of the Republican Party. Government has come to represent the "beast," the very reason for our economic problems. Remember the famous or infamous words spoken by Ronald Reagan at his inaugural in January, 1981: "government is not the solution to our problem; government is our problem."

Since that time, and more recently as two years ago, the Tea Party members of Congress have held to this negative position; and, they have caused countless setbacks for national growth and opportunities for advancement.

In my view, I would say to President Obama – continue the good works for health care, for education, for regulation of Wall Street. Find the ways and the directions for government to create a big public works jobs bill, effectiveness in clean energy development, and more justice in federal immigration policies.

Continue our forward progress.

Bruce G. Karolle,
Tamuning