A Democrat congressman from Illinois says when it comes to the health-care reform plan adopted by Congress and signed into law by President Obama, he just doesn't concern himself with what the Constitution requires.

The comment came in a heated exchange recorded recently between Rep. Phil Hare, D-Ill., and constituents.

While being pressed on the complications of the "Obamacare" plan, as critics have dubbed it, he was asked, "Where in the Constitution?"

"I don't worry about the Constitution on this to be honest," Hare said.

Instead, he said, he worries about peoples' lives:

"It's people's lives. It's people's children. It's when you take your child to the hospital and you think it's really bad and your heart is thumping, thumping, thumping while you're waiting for the doctor to tell you what it is and then the doctor comes out and says it's going to be ok, except you don't have insurance and you're stuck with a $10 or $15,000 bill. …"

When the congressman stated he doesn't concern himself with the Constitution, one of the constituents muttered, "Jackpot, brother."

"I care more about the people that are dying every day that don't have health insurance," Hare said.

"You care more about that than the U.S. Constitution, which you swore to uphold," a constituent challenged.

"I believe it says we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Hare responded.

Another constituent pointed out those words come from the Declaration of Independence.

"Doesn't matter to me," Hare stated. "Either one."

The question about the constitutionality of health care was repeated later, specifically challenging where in the document such action is authorized.

"I don't know. I don't know," the congressman said.

A constituent later called the congressman a liar for claiming he had read the 2,700-page health care plan three times, and the congressman walked out of the meeting, ending it.

Commenters on the YouTube page where the video was posted were incensed:

• I cannot WAIT to get these Socialist (sic) out of office.
  
  
• Someone needs to bring a huge bucket o' tar and a couple truckloads of feathers to Capitol Hill, and that right soon.
  
  
• I am so tired of seeing these hypocrites shedding all these crocodile tears for those "30 million poor uninsured." Give me a break already! They could care less about your health. This is all about control. Once they can force you to buy health insurance, then they can force you to buy anything. The bottom line to this health-control debate can be summed by by asking a very simple question: "If this is such a great and wonderful plan, why did Congress and the president exempt themselves?"
  
  
• This man is a lawless thug. His oath means nothing that he swore to. He plays o[n] emotion instead of dealing in facts. Typical, he justifies his actions based on emotion instead of rule of law and the Constitution. When you no longer follow the law, there is tyranny, not matter what the justification is.

In a commentary at the Dakota Voice, the author suggested, "Isn't it refreshing when liberals actually come out and say what they mean? It's such a rare treat, it deserves to be celebrated when it happens."

The author pointed out that while Hare "says he cares more about these mysterious people who are 'dying without health care,'" the facts are that "genuinely poor people have had access to Medicaid and other government health care programs for years, and no one is turned away from emergency room when life-saving treatment is needed … not even illegal aliens."

"But again, let's not be too hard on Rep. Hare. This kind of honesty from a socialist Democrat is priceless."