Toledo Blade, 8/14/2011

Your July 29 editorial “Wasted tax dollars” might have misled readers about an important issue in Ohio.

You attempted to highlight Republican hypocrisy by pointing to the party’s opposition to an individual health-insurance mandate, but not to the state law that requires people to purchase auto insurance.

Although these things are frequently compared, they are different. The health-care law establishes a mandate over the entire country. The car insurance mandate is enforced by individual states, which do not face the same constraints under the Constitution as does the federal government.

States can enforce this law because drivers travel on public roads. Requiring a person to buy car insurance is done to protect others who share the publicly owned property.

Only drivers are required to buy car insurance. The law is not extended to people who do not drive.

Governments should not force people to buy health insurance, just as they cannot force someone to drive a car. ObamaCare infringes on economic rights and individual liberty.

Every Republican in the Ohio House and Senate supported the Health Care Freedom Act to put the issue on the November ballot. One more supportive House vote would have secured its spot on the ballot, but Democrats stood in lockstep, too fearful to allow Ohioans a voice in the debate.

Thanks to grass-roots efforts, the issue was certified for the ballot. I applaud these efforts because I believe in giving Ohioans the opportunity to speak up and be included in the national debate.

Barbara Sears
Ohio House of Representatives
46th District Monclova Township