NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > Blogs > Entertainment blogs > Manhattan Diary > The verdict on John Roberts Supreme Court

Manhattan Diary by Cahir O'Doherty

The verdict on John Roberts Supreme Court

Posted on Thursday, June 28, 2012 at 02:07 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

28 Comments

RSS

Archives

John Roberts

You already know what's going to happen, don't you? You know because the Supreme Court that Chief Justice John Roberts leads is the most conservative in modern American history.

There is no possibility for surprise and no pretense at it even. Was Bush v. Gore a surprise to you? Will the current Supreme Court hand President Obama and the Democrats a formidable victory in an election year?

Not a chance. That's why two thirds of the American public now believe the Court, instead of being impartial guardians of the rule of law, are in fact ruled by the convective politics of the individual judges.

That's also why it's public approval has plummeted to a historic low. The endless 5-4 decisions on almost every critical issue that have come before the Court have seen to that.

We live in the era of a Tea Party conservatism that is ideologically extreme, that scoffs at any compromise, and that dismisses out of the hand the legitimacy of its political opposition. There is no reason to expect that this Court will do anything other than reflect the current ideological viewpoints of contemporary Tea Party conservatism.

According to the New York Times in its first five years the Roberts court issued conservative decisions 58 percent of the time. And in the term ending a year ago, the rate rose to 65 percent, the highest number in any year since at least 1953.

It seems important to point out that American health care provision is already seen as an international disgrace (50.7 million have no health insurance at all) but I see no urgency among conservatives to change it.

That's why, just a year ago in Los Angles, a scene like this was unremarkable: 'They came with rotting teeth, tiered glasses and broken bodies. In the predawn darkness outside the Los Angeles Sports Arena, they lined up last year by the thousands, waiting as the sun burned their backs for healthcare they could not afford.'

You can read the rest HERE if you need a reminder of what life will be like without the protection of Obamacare. Sadly, if the Affordable Care Act is overturned today you can expect that neither party will be willing to touch the issue for years.

So today most conservatives will probably celebrate a 'historic' ruling.

For the rest of you, you're living in a brave new conservative world where more of you will soon lose your company health insurance, or your premiums will rise as your benefits shrink, and more and more of you will skip medical treatments at all because of the cost. For the rest of you my advice is simple: never grow old and never get sick.

E-mail

28 comments

Previous Page 2 of 2 pages

Peggy P | Jun 28, 2012, 02:20 PM EDT

It's not a Health Care Law but a Health Care Tax. Yes, Obama won in the Supreme Court but you, the American Citizen lost big time. Why should the small business owner pay for your health care benefits when it will be cheaper to pay the penality for dropping you. What happens to those on medicaid when the states drop them because they cannot afford to pay medicaid insurance? What about the increased taxes you will pay plus the increased cost for medical insurance? What about the severe cuts in medicare? Who going to pay for this? Not the 49% of americans already being subsidized with food stamps ect.

Report abuse

rpbrown | Jun 28, 2012, 02:10 PM EDT

I look forward to the day when Americans realize that the number one threat to healthcare in America is not Democrats or Republicans, any of the three branches of government or you and me. The number one threat to good health care in America is insurance companies. It is in their best interest to give out as little health care as possible to patients and make sure hospitals/doctor get as little money as possible. Health insurance companies are not in the business of providing healthcare, they are in the business to provide profits for shareholders. So I say let's realize they're in the wrong business and kick them out! What we really need is DOCTORS and healthcare, not insurance. Cut out the middleman who is getting fat off of the majority of the money and leaving us with with the health of a third world country!

Report abuse

seanomelb | Jun 28, 2012, 01:48 PM EDT

Obama has just won in the supreme court already the Fox/GOP channel are weeping and gnashing their teeth.That's two court decisions for Obama this week.The middle class have won the private greedy health insurance companies can weep.Affordable health to bring the USA in line with first world countries. Just on a side note Switzerland brought in a similar scheme to Obama a few years ago and the health budget fell by 6%. Australia already has a mandated health system no one dies in OZ because they cannot afford health care nor do they have to mortgage their homes to pay medical bills.That type of health care only exists in some third world countries like the USA.

Report abuse

pilib04 | Jun 28, 2012, 12:42 PM EDT

These rightwing whackjobs always think whatever they say is law. They reject the executive branch of government, they reject the legislative branch and the judicial branch. I know the word is overused, but indeed what they are suggesting is FASCIST rule.

Report abuse

FastEddy | Jun 28, 2012, 12:36 PM EDT

Its a "new" tax! President-Elect Romney has just announced He will kill OBummerCare and kill it dead! No tax increases, no way.

Report abuse

slainte9 | Jun 28, 2012, 11:23 AM EDT

The Court just upheld the Healthcare law. If you want thoughtful commentary on the Supreme Court, read the Christian Science Monitor.

Report abuse

slainte9 | Jun 28, 2012, 10:55 AM EDT

What is this article doing on "Irish Central?"

Report abuse

michaelidaho | Jun 28, 2012, 10:53 AM EDT

Cahir, Your article is almost as funny as the photo of Harry Truman holding up the "Dewey Defeats Truman" headlines after he just defeated Dewey in 1948. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

Report abuse

Bythebay | Jun 28, 2012, 10:44 AM EDT

Wrong O'Doherty.

Report abuse

jamthecat | Jun 28, 2012, 10:36 AM EDT

Hm...I have to admit, I'm shocked. I'd have sworn I saw a headline on CNN saying they'd overturned it, but now it's saying "Upheld." Must be dyslexia setting in for my dotage. I am really startled that Roberst sided with the majority.

Report abuse

commodore | Jun 28, 2012, 10:30 AM EDT

CAHIR: What say you now??? Maybe apologize to all readers.

Report abuse

kelauggie1 | Jun 28, 2012, 10:07 AM EDT

We're not a socialist country yet - here you are supposed to earn what you get, not have the government, funded by others, give you free stuff. We're not Europe, where taxation beyond reason is the norm. How is that working out over there? So a conservative court is just what we need - to preserve the conservative values upon which this country was founded. And they did give the liberals a win with the Arizona illegal invasion - so they can still give more stuff to undeserving people.

Report abuse

wjb1tex | Jun 28, 2012, 10:03 AM EDT

Has it occured to you that the liberals on the court all vote the same and that is just as "political" as the votes on the other side?

Report abuse

Previous Page 2 of 2 pages