The Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare") has been substantially upheld by the Supreme Court, and President Obama gave a brief speech about it. In part, he explained its provisions, but then he said something that at first I found profound and then, upon reflection, deeply troubling. He said that pursuing the passage of his health care bill was not a good political decision, but it was good for the American people. My first response was how refreshing to have a president who is not (as Lord Acton warned) corrupted by power. Then it occurred to me: How can it be that in a country that has a government that is supposed to be a representative democracy, i.e., government of the people, any decision that is good for the people is at the same time not good politically?
DAVID M. PERLMAN, NEW HOPE
