By a vote of 219 to 212, House Democrats passed the bill passed by the Senate in December. President Obama will probably have signed his cornerstone piece of legislation into law by the time that you read this. The America of March 22, 2010 is a different place than the America of March, 21, 2010. You live in a different country and you didn't even have to immigrate.

Stopping President Obama's health care-welfare bill was contingent upon Democrats doing the right thing. If viewed through that lens, it was hard to envision the bill stopped. Republicans, a mere 178 of them in the House of Representatives, were powerless to prevent passage. They needed 38 Democrats--about 15 percent of the Democratic caucus--to rebuff their president and their party. This is why, once Democrats had decided upon the ends-justifies-the-means course of "reconciliation," the bill could only be slew by Democrats. Only wishful thinking could produce confidence in the notion that a sizable chunk of House Democrats would stand for the people against their president and party.

Elections have consequences. The consequence of electing Barack Obama and Democrat majorities in Congress is that America is now less free. But governance has consequences too. Bad governance, which includes the introduction of a means-tested welfare entitlement of health care on the taxpayers' dime for 32 million freeloaders, will lead to historic defeats for Democrats this November. Democrats lost Congress to save the president.

The post-partisan president quickly became the most partisan president. Whereas Social Security and Medicare gained the support of about half of Republicans in Congress, ObamaCare convinced not a single Republican to crossover. Such in-your-face governance can't be good for the polity. Those Republicans not invited to the table by the president represent millions of Americans. Those millions of Americans now strongly disapprove of their country's president. Governance by poll is cowardly; governance in defiance of the governed is hubristic. Somewhere between lies a happy medium unknown to Barack Obama, the post-post-partisan president.

Thirty-two million people now, through force of legislation, become dependent upon the government for what they should be responsible for. For the first time in history, Americans will be compelled by law to purchase a particular product, health insurance, or face a heavy fine. This is fascistic. This is also counterproductive to the stated aims of the legislation to reduce health-care costs. Manufacturing increased demand for a product is a sure-fire way to increase the price of that product. Republicans won't repeal this bill. Democrats can't repeal the laws of supply and demand.

The bill removes about $500 billion from the private economy through taxation at a time of terrible hardship. As the deficit exceeds $1.5 trillion, and the national debt approaches the gross domestic product, the bill, dubious CBO guesstimates aside, is certain to further burden future generations with much red ink. Democrats will pay a price. Americans will pay a higher price.

The onerous taxes unleashed upon health insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers will make health care more expensive, not more affordable. That's probably by design. The worse the private industry performs, the louder the calls for greater state intrusion becomes. Thought ObamaCare Mach One bad? Wait until its inflation of medical prices rationalizes calls for a public option, and later, for single payer, which is a pleasant sounding euphemism for state monopoly. Strangely, the primary consequence of the failure of more socialism in medicine will be more socialism in medicine.

This is a sad day for America because it is really the death of one America and the birth of another. The same observation could have been made upon the numerous usurpations of individual responsibilities by the state in the past. In the era of American ascendency, Europe played follow-the-leader. In the era of American decline, America imitates Europe. America, the land of the free, has become America, the land of the free loader.

America isn't a different place, it died tonight.

There's still the interesting matter of the States filing suit. Given the number of States that are supposed to do so, and the gravity of the legislation, I would expect the case to make it to the Supreme Court fairly quickly. I would also expect this court to invalidate the provision forcing citizens to purchase health care. What would remain of the bill if that happens?

STOP the defeatism! This is just the beginning. This isn't medicare or social security. This is war with the Ameican people. It hasn't been like this for 145 years- I believe this WILL be repealed. I believe the tea partiers and the bulk of America- anywhere from 55-65% are going to fight like hell. Trust me this IS NOT OVER!

STOP the defeatism! This is just the beginning. This isn't medicare or social security. This is war with the Ameican people. It hasn't been like this for 145 years- I believe this WILL be repealed. I believe the tea partiers and the bulk of America- anywhere from 55-65% are going to fight like hell. Trust me this IS NOT OVER!

Without exaggeration, the beginning of the end of the United States was on November 4, 2008 and the execution began on January 20, 2009.

The Marxist dictator and his party enablers have been unmasked as the radical leftists that they are and probably always were but who now dismiss the will of the people in pursuit of their reshaping the greatest democratic republic in history.

This new TAX bill will start filling government coffers immediately. But like the frog in the pan of warm water, the American people will be slowly cooked as the flame that is the government ruining by reconstruction the greatest private healthcare system in the world, is turned up over time.

BTW - how bad does McCain or even GW look now?

Another failure of the conservative movement. Its accomplishments are few and far between. Just like Medicare and Medicaid, this bill will not be repealed.

But hey, at least we're over in Iraq spending billions, making the Middle East safe for Israel and its expansionism.

What I find almost comical, is the lefties who think that government rationed healthcare is a A-Ok and this is a victory for them when they too will be subject to watching their freedoms evaporate under this excrementitious piece of Democrat legislation and they too will have to survive under a system of onerous taxation and sub par rationed healthcare.

The only people in this country who will be immune from the destruction of good healthcare and the awful system that will replace it will be the people in Congress who have foisted this Obamanation on us. And they evidently don't give a damn what ANY of the people think.

I thought you were done with this blog? Anyhoo, I totally agree, an invasion of Jordan or Syria by the Israelis is imminent. They must be stopped!

At least the Israelis might muster some some self-preserving sack. But this country no longer has the will to hold our own without rules of engagement based on some feel good political correctness that favors the enemy. Any enemy.

Was reading this weekend that guards at Guantanamo are now relegated to being waiters and concierges for the illegal enemy combatant terrorists who are there. To the point of having to hand them their personalized copies of the Koran while wearing white cotton gloves. What kind of message does that send the enemy?

We have the tanks, bombs and the technology to win but not the will. They have the numbers and the will and the operative useful idiots running things in the West that make it possible for them to overcome.

Is the expansionist Israel thing serious? It's so preposterous that it seems like he might be kidding.

As for Obamacare, the Russians outlived the Soviets. We'll eventually come to our senses, but it will be the result of horrors of reality rather than the advancing of intellectual argument. Nothing like being ground under the government boot to bring about a big rethink.

"I would also expect this court to invalidate the provision forcing citizens to purchase health care."

Why would you expect that? If there were five Clarence Thomases on the Supreme Court, then I could see what you're talking about (and optimistically agree with you). But with the Supreme Court we actually have? I think you're being too optimistic.

I am going elsewhere- you guys sound like your about to commit suicide- blame bush-blah blah blah

Dan I disagree with one basic drift of your post.

You want to see this as somehow motivated by "freeloaders" but I don't see where that could possibly be the case. This is pure fascism, its power grabs by the self-appointed "best and brightest." It is our ruling class being itself, in cahoots with media and corporate fat cats to further restrict freedom in a desire to reshape the people into the kind of serfs the ruling class can be proud to call their own. All successful fascist movements consisted of a conglomerate of carefully gathered interested parties. I think you are referring to "freeloaders" as people w/o insurance but they aren't the ones in charge.

Law student writes: "Another failure of the onservative movement its accomplishments are few and far between. Just like medicare and medicaid this bill will not be repealed." Actually law student, Medicare, Medicaid, and this bill will all be repealed. The reason is simple. The costs of these programs far out pace the ability of the Government to pay for them and our creditors are not going to finance these things. Due to our inability to afford these programs Americans will be forced to live with much smaller and less obtrusive state governments in future years.

The advantages to this will be increased freedom and self reliance for Americans. The disadvantages will be that services that are often taken for granted such as Emergency Medical Services like ambulances, fire departments, and police protection will be less available than it currently is. We can offset the lack of police protection somewhat by encouraging gun ownership among Americans. This should relieve some of the burden on law enforcement.

"But hey at least we're over in Iraq making the Middle East safe for Israel and its expansionism." Actually with regards to Iraq we should withdraw immediately and without delay. Every single member of the American armed forces, any intellegence personnel, and any support personnel, as well as all American equipment should be withdrawn from Iraq immediately. This should be done as soon as our transport vehicles can get them out. The same thing applies to Afghanistan, the entire Middle East, and most places where America currently ahs troops. All of these troops and support personnel should be redeployed to defensible positions along the American borders. In addition to this we should immediately develop all of our own oil and gas reserves and build more refineries. Doing these things would give us far greater utility for our national security interests than any thing we are currently doing.

With regards to Israeli expansionism the land the Israelis took in the 1967 war was taken in a defensive war. Based upon international law Israel's claim to this land is greater than America's claim is to the lands it took from Mexico in the Mexican American war.

Homer J. Fong writes: "...I totally agree an invasion by Israel of Jordan or Syria is imminent. They must be stopped!" Perhaps you are being sarcastic. Perhaps you mean Jordan and Syria must be stopped. Jordan and Syria are used as bases for Israel's enemies. If an enemy of America set up bases in Mexico and used these to train for and to launch attacks on America, I would expect the American to do whatever is necessary to make the attacks stop. By attacking Syria, Jordan, or Lebanon the Israelis would not be doing any differently than we would be. What is needed is for America to get out of Israel's way and allow Israel to defeat its enemies. It seems that any time that Israel is on the verge of defeating its enemies America intervenes to restrain Israel and block it from achieving its just objectives. Israel's enemies happen to be our enemies as well. By getting out of Israel's way and allowing them to defeat their enemies we would be acting in our own best interests.

Finaaly, Obamacare, medicare, medicaid, and probably soical security as well will be repealed. They will probably not be repealed by Conservatives, Liberals, or anyone else. Simple economic realities will result in them being repealed. The costs of the programs far out pace our ability to pay for them.

Outside of it being a massive tax hike, the other component of the Obamanation that is national rationed healthcare important to the radical leftists is having control over the citizenry thus limiting freedoms.

I think its significant that all medical records and other personal information will need to be maintained and controlled by local and D.C. bureaucrats and will allow for them to monitor, if necessary, the day by day activities of individuals. This brought to you by the same people who complained about Bush and Cheney monitoring cell phone calls of potential terrorists.