West: Health Care Law Is A Tax Without ‘Consent’ — Like In The American Revolution

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Rep. Allen West (R-FL) marked the Independence Day week by observing that the individual mandate in “Obamacare” — a provision passed by Congress and signed by President Obama — is the kind of taxation without representation that led to the American revolution.

“And also, Greta, you have to understand what seems so ironic — that 236 years ago, right about this time, Thomas Jefferson was sitting down and writing the Declaration of Independence,” West said during an appearance Monday night on “On the Record With Greta Van Susteren.”

“And he talked about the inalienable rights of the individual that come not from man or government, it comes from a creator. And when he lists those grievances against King George III, one of those grievances was the imposition of taxes without their consent. This is exactly where we are 236 years later.”

The key moment is at the 4:25 mark below:


Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: