Congressman Murphy recently sat down with Post Star reporter Maury Thompson.Their exchange wasn’t anything to write home about, with the exception of the Congressman’s response about throwing people in jail for failing to buy health insurance. Read the interview for yourself; the statement of concern is:
“I am not an expert on jail time for not getting health insurance. I would be surprised if that was that (sic) the way it was intended to work. But I can’t say that that’s not possible.”
The response that most of us would have preferred was:
That’s the sort of idea that would be put forth by my unhinged colleagues who represent constituencies that are almost entirely dependent on Medicaid because they survive at levels of destitution that their representatives really don’t have any serious interests in alleviating. As a result, these crazies of the Charlie Rangel variety are free to focus their energies on penalizing those individuals who have the audacity to work their way out of such poverty and escape this dependence on handouts.
Or, more succinctly:
I will not vote to jail, or, for that matter, fine anyone who does not purchase health insurance.
As someone who has reaped not insignificant benefits from being able to make his own decisions with his own money and his own life, Congressman Murphy, of all people, should understand the folly of levying a mandate of this sort.
