Throughout this debate over healthcare, many Americans have argued that a mandate to purchase health insurance in unconstitutional. It looks like somebody in Washington finally woke up and took the message to the Joint Committee on Taxation. Senator John Ensign (a Republican from Nevada) asked the Committee's Chief of Staff, Thomas Barthold, about the penalty for not obtaining health insurance. Barthold came back with the following response:

People who fail to pay the $1,900 fee for not purchasing coverage under Obamacare would be charged with a misdemeanor, charged a penalty of up to $25,000 or face up to a year in jail.

Now remember, Barack Obama does NOT consider this mandate a tax. Just last weekend with George Stephanopoulos, Obama said, "The -- for us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase. What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore than the fact that right now everybody in America, just about, has to get auto insurance. Nobody considers that a tax increase." Now we have already been through this asinine argument about auto insurance versus health insurance. It's a crock. But if the government has the ability to through you in jail over failure to purchase health insurance, that is a tax.

Even knowing this, Republican (RINO) Senator Olympia Snowe crossed the isle last week and voted with the Democrats to reject an amendment that would have eliminated this individual mandate.

Please ... you're not still driving around with an Obama-Biden bumper sticker on your car, are you? Have you no pride?