Bill Maher on Friday once again demonstrated how little he knows about politics and current events.
In a discussion about House Republicans voting last week to repeal ObamaCare, the "Real Time" host said that law's individual mandate is constitutional because states require people to own car insurance (video follows with transcript and commentary):
DAVID STOCKMAN: Republicans have had numerous bad ideas over the last couple of decades, and that’s one of them.
BILL MAHER, HOST: Why was that a bad idea? I mean, the personal mandate, it was a, it was a, I'll tell you why it was a Republican…
STEVE MOORE, WALL STREET JOURNAL: The government can't require you to buy health insurance. It’s not constitutional. There’s nothing in the Constitution that has the government forcing you to buy something. Should they force you to buy, you know…
MOORE: Yeah, but they can't force you to buy a car, right?
MAHER: No, that’s not the same thing a car and car insurance. Those are two different things. They can force you to buy car insurance that puts you in, okay. Set that aside.
That's right: a car and car insurance aren't the same thing, and states can only force you to buy one if you own and intend to drive the other.
As such, states that have this law don't force people to buy car insurance.
Instead, since driving is a privilege and not a right, most states require car owners to purchase liability insurance that protects other people from damages caused by the at-fault driver.
However, states do not require drivers to have what's called collision and comprehensive insurance. Such policies cover damages to one's own vehicle and property.
This makes the auto insurance requirement a benefit of others and not the actual insured. By contrast, health insurance is exclusively a benefit to the buyer of it. This makes it far different than automobile liability insurance.
Sadly, like so many liberal media members, Maher doesn't understand these distinctions.
Isn't it great that he gets to share his tremendously uninformed views with the masses once a week on a nationally televised cable show?
