As you no doubt have heard by now, the Obama administration decided to suspend the Obamacare mandate that all companies with more than 50

employees must provide health insurance by January 1, 2014. Essentially, they postponed the mandate for a year. It should take effect in 2015.

As I record this commentary, there is still some uncertainty about the impact this might have on Christian businesses like Hobby Lobby and Mardels. They

along with various Catholic groups are challenging the contraception mandate in Obamacare.

The greater question is whether the White House has legal authority to suspend or postpone a portion of a law that Congress passed with specific

timetables. Many American business owners may be grateful they won’t have to implement the Obamacare mandate in their establishment. But, there is a

dangerous precedent involved in this decision.

As I have mentioned in previous commentaries, this president has refused to enforce various laws. Now his administration has decided to postpone the

implementation of another law. Will future presidents feel the freedom to not enforce laws they didn’t like? Will they feel free to postpone or suspend laws if

they feel they will have a negative impact on an upcoming election?

Let’s be honest. The administration decided to suspend the mandate so they could postpone it until after the 2014 elections. Members of Congress who

voted for the bill won’t have to defend its impact on business until after the elections. A former budget director said the suspension of the employer mandate

past the 2014 election as “deviously brilliant.” It may have made political sense, but it is a bad precedent for the republic.

Can you imagine the outrage we would have heard if a few months ago congressional leaders suggested that the employer mandate be delayed a year?

They would have been branded as heartless and uncaring. That, of course, is just what this administration has just done. I’m Kerby Anderson, and that’s my

point of view.