Choice words on the mandate

At KausFiles,

"It’s in a way more respectful of personal autonomy for the government to make you buy something than for the government to tax you and buy it for you. In the one case you choose which of the various competing products to buy. In the other, the government chooses–with your money. In the former case, it’s as if the government required that you send your kids to some school–a mandate (!), though one typically imposed by states–but then gave you a voucher so you could pick and choose which school to patronize. Such “choice” schemes are usually favored by conservatives, for good reasons." [footnote omitted]