Jenny Erikson
Jenny EriksonLast March, then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi boldly told the public that the Affordable Care Act needed to be passed before we could find out what was in it. The bill was soon passed and signed into law, and one year later, we are still peeling back the layers on the onion that is Obamacare.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) originally didn’t support President Obama’s health care initiative, but for a different reason than his Republicans counterparts. Where Republicans on the Hill voted against a massive intrusion of government into 1/6 of the economy, Rep. Weiner wasn’t fond of Obamacare because he didn’t believe it went far enough. The congressman sponsored an amendment to implement universal coverage – Medicare for all.

Weiner’s amendment lacked popular support, and he voted in favor of the bill. Maybe he should have found out what was in it before he voted for it, because now he’d like a waiver for his district. Their Medicaid expenses are already sky-high, and they won’t be able to afford the mandate implemented by the Affordable Care Act. Even while he explores waiver options, Weiner still praises the health care law overall.

What’s good enough for thee isn’t good enough for me.

Meanwhile, business owners continue to speak out on the unreasonable financial burden that has been placed on them due to the new law. Scott Womack owns 12 IHOP restaurants in Indiana and Ohio, employing more than 1,000 full- and part-time employees. He will be unable to keep his doors open in 2014 unless he gets one of those elusive waivers, pays his employees less, charges his customers more, or cuts services elsewhere.

Despite what one might believe when looking at our national debt, there is such a thing as a finite amount of money. If a labor-intensive restaurant has to spend $95 to make $100, and a new government program requires the boss to spend an extra $10 … that money has to come from somewhere. No one but Uncle Sam can operate at a loss for very long.

Obamacare is great in theory, but impossible in practicality. Medical care is neither a right nor a privilege -- it is a service, and should be treated as such.