Health Care Reform At Supreme Court: Line-Standers Show The Professional Way To Wait (VIDEO)

Anyone who has spent a night on the Supreme Court sidewalk waiting to get one of the golden tickets to see the court in action knows about the "line-standers."

They are the people who would rather get some sleep than geek out over constitutional law all night, the distinctly non-lawyerly types who do not tell you their names or where they are from, and -- most agitatingly -- the ones in front of you in line ruining your shot at an unobstructed view of the justices. Come sunrise on the morning of the big oral argument everyone is eager to see, the line-standers will be gone, replaced by alpha lawyers unbothered by the bitter comments and dirty looks of the bone-cold, rain-soaked, sunburned hoi polloi behind them.

But Oliver Gomes has a different side of the story.

As a foreman for LineStanding.com, Gomes arrived at the Supreme Court on Friday afternoon to check up on his charges. The line was already about 10 people deep for the health care cases that begin on Monday morning. Every person, save one, was paid to be there.

That's what America is all about, Gomes said. "The United States is built on business," he told HuffPost. "We provide a service as far as we are where we're supposed to be [and] we come professional. It's just like any other business." He wouldn't discuss his customers.

Line-standing, in fact, helped pull Gomes from a down-and-out time in his life. He was homeless and working as a bike courier for the company that runs the line-standing business when "one day they needed a person up here to hold down a spot," he recalled.

"That gave me a little hope, and I was able to build from that."

Certainly not every person involved in the line-standing business feels the same way. One stander near the front of the line who wouldn't give his name told HuffPost he was waiting so more patriotic people could take his place.

Gomes said he now sees his role as someone who can help bring the same hope living in Washington's shadows by having them dwell, for $20 and hour to $40 an hour, depending on the customer, in the shadows of the most majestic buildings of the capital city.

"Some people that I utilize as line-standers, they're American society, but they're not what people consider the mainstream," Gomes said. "I want everyone to feel like they're a part of this process in whatever type of way, as far as building this country and making it better."

Video produced by Sara Kenigsberg.

Comments

[libertyanne]

10:41 AM on 03/24/2013

Better they sell the service then beg on the street. It's commerce in America that takes a buyer and a seller. Both make up an enterprise--a cottage industry in a condo town.

[cityman123]

08:36 PM on 03/26/2012

My Canadian and British friends are appauled that Americans would want to repeal Obama Care. They think that their is something fundamentally wrong with Middle and lower middle class American's voting againgst their own self-interests especially when they will undoubtably need to utilize this medical care themselves in the near future.

[Mickey Bitsko]

02:33 PM on 03/26/2012

Professional line sitters make good money.

[Don Montgomery]

09:17 PM on 03/24/2012

Never did understand how you could give someone else your place in line. As far as I can see if you give up your place everyone else moves up. Perhaps there is a lawsuit here, against the law firms paying for this service.

[Newsmonger]

10:31 PM on 03/24/2012

I doubt if you really you can proof any damage before any Court..

If you were number 9 on the line....if someone ahead of you gave up his/her spot for someone else, that does not affect you in any way, shape or form...You will still be number 9. So what is the grievances that, you are bringing before the Court?

[mistergg69]

05:22 PM on 03/24/2012

FOUR MORE YEARS OBAMA 2012

[Obama20122016]

04:33 PM on 03/24/2012

I hope and believe this healthcare law will stand even under this SCOTUS . And for Republicans trying to scare people and claim there is a mandate and that you are forced to buy health insurance are NOT telling you the truth . It is NOT enforceable and never has been . In the bill it reads...
" Waiver of criminal penalties In the case of any failure by a taxpayer to timely pay any penalty imposed by this section. such taxpayer shall not be subject to any criminal prosecution or penalty with respect to such failure . "

[PC Contrarian]

04:14 PM on 03/24/2012

For those who won't be attending the historic event:

“The bottom line is this: the Constitution’s limits on the federal power are real and they must be respected, even if they are inconvenient for the Obama administration’s goal to take over one-sixth of our economy,” said Florida AG Bondi.

The states’ main case is that it is unconstitutional for the federal government to insist that citizens buy anything, including health insurance. “If they can force us to do this, they can force us to do anything,” said Bondi.

[retiredfemale]

08:28 PM on 03/24/2012

We will see, I think as healthcare is in the national interest that it is constitutional, especially since States have the option of developing thier own plans as long as they are comparable to those in the national plan.

[Cacey]

09:58 PM on 03/24/2012

I've seen Bondi on TV a lot and other than looking like she graduated from law school last year, she seems not to realized that if you look at this court's record, it has constantly expanded Federal Powers. She seems like one of those the government is going to force us to eat broccoli folks

[PC Contrarian]

10:13 PM on 03/24/2012

Yes, she is a fresh face; but even FDR got his wings clipped by the Supremes, when he over reached.
So will Obama.

[Sabrae]

03:38 PM on 03/24/2012

I guess you can make a business out of just about anything. :/

[rt1027]

03:51 PM on 03/24/2012

good

[Sabrae]

03:57 PM on 03/24/2012

Maybe I'll sell my super secret entirely Danish chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Fresh out of the oven, guys. Get one while they're warm. :D

[goodmarina]

03:29 PM on 03/24/2012

if someone wants to stand in line for hours ... and not bothers around them - AND make a buck at it ... more power to them!

[vicla1942]

02:09 PM on 03/24/2012

If they strike down the mandate , tax their electric bill, no one rides free.

[rt1027]

03:53 PM on 03/24/2012

laughing how are you going to pass that one......... now

[vicla1942]

03:56 PM on 03/24/2012

Government has the power to tax, dems cannot tax because of Grover.

[windstorm46]

02:05 PM on 03/24/2012

Well - there won't be cameras in there - is there a court stenographer? How do we get the facts?

[Amalek]

03:24 PM on 03/24/2012

You can listen.  The recording is posted shortly afterwards on the Supreme Court website.

[windstorm46]

03:28 PM on 03/24/2012

Thank you !

[jazzblues]

05:00 PM on 03/24/2012

Plus NPR breaks it down every day...and it is always great to listen to that

[den1953]

01:43 PM on 03/24/2012

If it was the OWS waiting on tickets it would be a whole different headline complete with arrests and pepper spray!

[Cacey]

01:07 PM on 03/24/2012

With only 31% of Americans favor full repeal, even if the public had a say the bill should not be repealed but rather, as most Americans have clearly stated, adjusted just as our Counsitution has been adjusted over time. Let's hope the Court does the right thing and leaves ACA intact and thus leave it up to the American people and our representives to do what we pay them to do.

[den1953]

01:45 PM on 03/24/2012

If the American people would know just what the law will do for them they would welcome it as much as they do Social Security or Medicare, but when millions were spend to lobby against it nothing else would explain the lack of knowledge!

[terry63]

03:22 PM on 03/24/2012

1.7 trillion dollars,is the new price on it.health care. SSI, insurance and Medicare. No budget, no hope for a budget.Insulting anyone who dare offer a budget, calling them Ignorant.1000 days and counting.$15,488,891,296,248 in debt and counting. Borrowing .40cents on every dollar we spend.I would love to see Americans get good health care. Who's paying for it?

[tin soldier]

03:24 PM on 03/24/2012

Only 31% in favor of full repeal but 67% in favor of no mandate ,
Tell the whole story

[retiredfemale]

08:41 PM on 03/24/2012

Your numbers are wrong, you are counting those in favor of the mandate in with those in favor of no mandate which is misleading, which I suspect is your purpose.