In an interview this week with ABC News’s Jake Tapper, Obama declared that Americans should be forced under penalty of law to purchase health insurance under the House legislation, just as we’re allegedly required to purchase auto insurance already:

“What I think is appropriate is that in the same way that everybody has to get auto insurance, and if you don’t, you’re subject to some penalty, that in this situation.

If you have the ability to buy insurance, it’s affordable and you choose not to, forcing you and me and everybody else to subsidize you, you know, there’s a thousand-dollar hidden tax that families all across America are burdened by, because of the fact that people don’t have health insurance, you know, there’s nothing wrong with a penalty…

Penalties are appropriate for people who try to free ride the system and force others to pay for their health insurance.”

There are just a few problems with this theory, which should be obvious to anyone who has devoted serious thought to the matter.

First and foremost, it is not true that “everybody has to get auto insurance” in America. If you voluntarily choose not to own an automobile, you are not forced to purchase insurance.

In contrast, ObamaCare would force every American to make a purchase that many freely choose not to make for a variety of reasons. This is so obvious as to render his declaration facially preposterous.

Second, it’s not always true that we collectively “subsidize” people without auto insurance or health insurance. If an uninsured motorist inflicts damage to another driver, or an uninsured citizen falls ill, they can be held personally responsible to pay the costs that they’ve incurred.

After all, widespread health insurance is actually a recent phenomenon in American history, as citizens traditionally paid healthcare debts just like any other form of debt. Most people possess assets and future income from which they can pay costs without shifting them to taxpayers at large. There are obviously instances in which indigent citizens are unable to pay auto accident or healthcare costs, but it’s simply inaccurate for Obama to assume that such costs are always involuntarily dumped onto other American citizens. (For more, follow this link to full article.)

Constitutionalist Devvy Kidd offers the following advice:

Employers: If you are a target of this legislation, now is the time to speak with others, join together and retain a good constitutional law firm that will file a lawsuit should a final bill become junk law. Multiple plaintiffs can really reduce the burden of legal costs.

Health care providers - corporations - you must do the same thing.

Individuals: Mail hardcopy letters to the U.S. Senate and tell them you will NOT comply; you will not be forced to buy conventional health insurance or face fines!

Send a very clear, very loud statement that no matter how many "versions" of this effort to hijack our health care system, whether it be Republican or Democrat, we will NOT allow this power grab and new taxing scheme.

If it happens, every facet of the private sector will be opened up and targeted for destruction by Congress -- mark my words. This will be just the beginning.

Tell them you will join with others (hopefully thousands) in filing lawsuits (using experienced, qualified law firms) to just say NO. We can defeat this once and for all. Not with holding signs or signing petitions, but telling the Senate that we will tie this "law" up in court for years. That we will not roll over any longer. We will fight in the courts and we will win.

Congress has NO authority whatsoever in any shape, form or clause to sell health insurance and attempt to force individuals against their will to purchase it, or extort money from them using threats of IRS thugs and jail time.

Burying Senators with snail mail letters will tell them that we the people, business and individuals, are willing to put our money towards hiring qualified legal teams to fight this disaster before it becomes another massive, entrenched failure like social security and Medicare. Before our rights are stripped away.

Threatening 1/3 of the senate with bouncing them out of office in November 2010 sounds nice, but that is a year from now. We must stop this from ever becoming "law" in the first place.