Boss-achusetts: Do as we say, or pay

The Union Leader has an editorial on creeping totalitarianism in New Hampshire:

The mandate that all residents carry health insurance is a wholly new burden.

No doubt, buying health insurance is a good idea. But so is buying a car with a five-star safety rating, brushing after meals and not running with scissors. And yet government lets people decide whether to do these things.

For some reason, Bay State representatives have decided that they have the right to make personal financial decisions for the citizens who elected them. What is scary about this decision is where it might lead.

Carrying health insurance is not the same as carrying car insurance. The state built the roads, and therefore has a legitimate say in who gets to drive on them. But caring for one's own health is a private decision, even if it tangentially affects others.

If the state can order people to buy health insurance, then where does that authority stop? Why can't it order people to exercise a half-hour a day, quit smoking, and floss regularly?

Where does it stop?