The Country's in the Very Best of Hands

While we were talking about Bowe Bergdahl, other things happen, too:

A government document provided to The Associated Press indicates that at least 2 million people enrolled for taxpayer-subsidized private health insurance have data discrepancies in their applications that, if unresolved, could affect what they pay for coverage, or even their legal right to benefits.

The final number affected could well be higher. According to the administration the 2 million figure reflects only consumers who signed up through the federally administered HealthCare.gov website and call centers. The government signed up about 5.4 million people, while state-run websites signed up another 2.6 million.

Remember when the Obama administration was crowing about the great success they'd had in enrolling 8 million individuals in a compulsory program? Especially when the customer satisfaction rates look like this?

The poll asked those who bought Obamacare-compliant insurance to list the reasons why they bought it, offering 15 potential responses.  The first and third most-common responses were (first) “It’s the law” (36 percent) and (third) “I didn’t want to pay the fine” (34 percent).  Comparatively, only 23 percent picked “I wanted insurance for my family,” and only 19 percent picked “I could afford a plan.”

The invaluable John Hayward makes the connection:

When forty percent of the participants say they wouldn’t have enrolled unless they were forced to do so, you’re not talking about a “success” for Barack Obama – you’re describing a defeat of the American people.  We shouldn’t be losing battles against a government that should be subordinate to its citizens.  We shouldn’t be using government power to beat each other into submission, instead of carefully safeguarding universal rights.  And it’s ridiculous to describe ObamaCare with the language of “rights,” when so many of its participants fervently wish for the right to escape from it.

At bottom, government is force. And force in the hands of the incompetent and the corrupt is dangerous. It's long been clear that the Obama administration is both incompetent and corrupt. I think most people understand this, but there are many who would rather not think about the implications. We can avoid thinking about the implications for a little while longer, but the window is closing.