July, 2012 --

So let it be written; so let it be done.

One of the many lessons that we should learn from last month's Supreme Court ruling on the misnamed "Affordable Care Act" is that it is the responsibility of the Supreme Court to determine if a law abides by the Constitution, not whether the law is just, right, fair, or reasonable. And right or wrong, the Court has made that decision.

For most of my adult life, I lived... and lived reasonably well, without the benefit and without the cost of health insurance. My health insurance was my lifestyle and my good judgment. I paid attention; I took care of myself. When I needed the services of the health care industry, I paid cash. It worked well for both me and the industry.

By doing so, I avoided having to pay for health insurance that I did not need and did not want. Yes; I did carry a major medical policy. But the difference between the cost of that and the cost that most people pay for standard health care insurance today saved me tens of thousands of dollars. Literally. Think of it. In today's dollars, I saved roughly $100 a month, $1,200 a year, for 30 years. Take away from that the money that I did pay for medical expenses -- and it amounts to over $30,000! Thirty thousand dollars... tax-free! Money in my pocket!

But this story is not about me. I am not so very different from most people. (Well, maybe I am, but not in this context.) Many of my friends and colleagues did the same thing. And those who did not, at least had a choice. They could decide how they would cover their health care costs.

Freedom of choice. It was our choice.

No more.

That freedom has been taken away from every American -- living, and as yet unborn.

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