D.C. had it backwards on defunding ObamaCare.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Brief article

Defunding ObamaCare did not really require an active decision by the House of Representatives. It is the default option--as in what happens if you do not do something, maintains Jane M. Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Tucson, Ariz.

"Constitutionally, the people's House holds the government's purse strings. It does not need to pass a law requiring an agency to stop spending money. It can simply withhold authorization to spend it. That is, the House can simply refuse to act," explains Orient.

"Suppose you have a child who is profligately spending your money on things that you disapprove of and that are very harmful--by charging them to your credit card. If the card is about to expire, you don't have to use force to restrain the child; you could simply decline to renew it.

"The government would grind to a halt if the House did not appropriate any money. After passing a Continuing Resolution to continue all spending...