Does Angus King think I’m a murderer?

Sen. Angus King, an independent, is a friend of mine. At least I thought he was until he labeled groups trying to dissuade young people from signing up for health insurance under Obamacare “guilty of murder,” in an interview with Salon.com.

“That’s a scandal — those people are guilty of murder in my opinion,” he said.

Really?

What happened to the spirit of cooperation and working across the political aisle?

Please explain why expanding the power of the Internal Revenue Service while not hiring one new doctor is good health care. Why did the law include long-term care coverage, a part of the law that was later repealed? Why is Obamacare taxing the manufacturing of medical devices in the name of reducing costs? How will cutting Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors motivate them to see more patients and provide better care?

If doctors, hospitals and drugs are expensive now, could someone explain to me how it is going to be cheaper to pay for doctors, hospitals, drugs and government administrative costs on top of that?

Would someone please explain why many of the same advocates of Obamacare when it was before Congress have sought and been granted exemptions from the law?

Why is it that offering different types of private insurance coverage with different deductibles and coverage options was unacceptable to Democrats when it was before the Maine Legislature, yet now it’s acceptable as part of Obamacare?

Why is it that perhaps the largest expansion of government in my adulthood didn’t earn one — not one — Republican vote?

Why are members of Congress receiving financial help from taxpayers to cover the cost of Obamacare while I’m going to be fined if I don’t comply?

Why is it that, if Obamacare is such a good idea, members of Congress and the president aren’t explaining its virtues rather than calling people who believe these questions deserve answers and practical solutions murderers?

— Blog post by Phil Harriman