The Real Man of the Year

WHAT GUMMINT DOES          TEXT “  Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion in the ObamaCare case was not statesmanlike; it was elitist.  By grounding its reasoning in an amorphous, under-theorized and functionally limitless constitutional power, the majority ensured that people who disagree with the outcome will be flummoxed in trying to critique it.  In truth, the majority’s reasoning on the tax power is weak, even risible—but few people possess the tools to explain why, and by the time they acquire those tools, the intensity of the moment will have faded. He invented out of whole cloth a new definition of taxation that contravenes long-standing precedent. He added hundreds of billions of dollars to the federal deficit, by way of his Medicaid ruling. And he forever tarnished his legacy as a Justice, and his promise to the nation that he would serve as an umpire, and “remember that it’s my job to call balls and strikes, and not to pitch or bat.” So yes, it was a deft move to uphold the healthcare law while avoiding the Commerce Clause quagmire.  In steering the court around a direct confrontation with the other branches it is possible that Chief Justice Roberts has assured constitutional peace for our time.  But given a choice between fidelity to the Constitution and intra-governmental harmony, Roberts chose the latter.  And he did so in a way that will shut many people out of the debate over the quality of the Court’s reasoning and the legitimacy of its decision.  Let him be remembered for that, too. [Forbes] [Forbes] Bottom line, and in plain talk - because of Roberts we are left with no place to hide from the federal Goliath.  We can no longer "disappear." Every vestige of our privacy and personal life are under the purview of the Internal Revenue Service.  Under the  Robert's rule, government can tax (confiscate) every possession we have.  He could have stopped it all.  All things considered then,  Chief Justice Roberts is the worst person in American history. ”