An Ode To The Supremes

This is a really big week at The United States Supreme Court. The Court (known to lawyer types as “the Supremes”) is holding six hours of oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a/k/a Obamacare).

Reasonable people of intelligence, good will, and love of country can and do differ on whether PPACA implements the best policies and best ideas for reducing the number of uninsured Americans and solving the dilemma of folks like us at the Hotel Melanoma, who are sometimes denied health insurance coverage based on our rather glaring “preexisting condition”. The so-called “individual mandate” is particularly controversial, raising important questions about the limits of Congress’ legislative powers under the “commerce” and “necessary and proper” clauses of the Constitution. My bet is that the Supremes will find the mandate constitutional, and by more than the 5-4 majority we too often see from this Court, but who knows.

Personally, I’d hate to see the whole thing go down in constitutional flames. As flawed as PPACA may be in some of its details I don’t much like and won’t go into here, it represents Congress’ one and only serious effort in my lifetime to see that more Americans have health insurance coverage. And it’s hard to imagine that today’s dysfunctional and highly partisan Congress and White House would ever come together to replace it with something better.

So, my dear Supremes, I’ll leave you with a plea for restraint and my hopes that you’ll show a little love to the uninsured in America-- the legions who, unlike you, don’t hold lifetime appointments to a great job with excellent group health insurance coverage paid for by us taxpayers. To the tune of “Stop! In The Name of Love” from Diana Ross & The Supremes…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of-YOLy8f50


Stop! In the name of love
Before you break my heart

Supremes, Supremes
I'm just fair at laws you know
Each time you leave your doors
I watch your big frowns from seats
Knowing another law’s on street
But this time before you overturn
Leaving me so uninsured
(Think it over) Hasn’t life been good to you…
(Think it over) Hasn’t life been sweet to you…

Stop! In the name of love
Before you break my heart
Stop! In the name of love
Before you break my heart
Think it over
Think it over

I dream of your
Your secluded heights
I've even been there
Maybe once or twice
But is your judge impression
Worth more than my health care protection?
So this time before you cause me harm
And send law back to barn
(Think it over) Hasn’t life been good to you?
(Think it over) Hasn’t life been sweet to you?

Stop! In the name of love
Before you break my heart
Stop! In the name of love
Before you break my heart
Think it over
Think it over

I try so hard, hard to be patient
Hoping you'll rule for cancer nation
But each time you are together
I'm so afraid I'll be losing it forever

Stop! In the name of love
Before you break my heart
Supremes, think it over
Stop! In the name of love
Before you break my heart
Think it over Black Robes
Stop! In the name of love
Before you break my heart

Supremes, think it over
Think it over, Supremes
Ooh, think it over Supremes...