The States Will Be the Next Battlefield in the Fight Over ObamaCare

Right now the battle over government-run health care is centered in Washington D.C. Numerous protests have been held at the Capital, including the massive 9.12 Project march, where hundreds of thousands traveled from all over the country to protest excessive spending, bailouts, and big government proposals for reforming healthcare. Another ten thousand showed up in November for a “House Call” protest, arranged on very short notice, specifically targeting healthcare legislation pushed by Democrats. These same activists are also burning up the phones before every major vote. Despite the unprecedented strength of this small government uprising, we must face the very real possibility that, while these protests will no doubt keep participants motivated leading up to the next election, they may not be enough to stop passage of ObamaCare. Depending on the outcome of today’s fight, tomorrow’s could very well be at the state level, and eventually in the courts.

According to the American Legislative Exchange Council, lawmakers in 24 states have at least pledged to introduce legislation modeled after their Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act, which nullifies an individual mandate to purchase federally approved health insurance. This amounts to a bold reassertion of the 10th Amendment, that long ignored protection of state sovereignty against federal infringement. Thirteen of these states have already filed or pre-filed constitutional amendments to protect the rights of individuals to make their own healthcare decisions.

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Tags: 10th Amendment, Congressional Budget Office, government mandate, individual insurance mandate, ObamaCare
Posted Dec 5th 2009 at 6:43 pm in Healthcare, Justice/Legal, Politics, State Politics | 4153471 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/bgarst/2009/12/05/the-states-will-be-the-next-battlefield-in-the-fight-over-obamacare/The+States+Will+Be+the+Next+Battlefield+in+the+Fight+Over+ObamaCare2009-12-06+01%3A43%3A52Brian+Garst

The Education of Congressman Hoyer

Congress is moving closer to enacting a law requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says that this is “like paying taxes.”

He’s right about that. But Hoyer made this statement as part of an effort to justify the health-care mandate on constitutional grounds. Here he indicates that he doesn’t understand the Constitution that he took an oath to support.

When asked what power the Constitution gives to Congress to enact this legislation, Hoyer claimed that it came from the Constitution’s “general welfare” clause.

Article One, section eight says that Congress can “lay and collect taxes… to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States.”

But what defines the “general welfare”?

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Tags: 10th Amendment, alexander hamilton, Barack Obama, enumerated powers, general welfare clause
Posted Oct 24th 2009 at 9:15 am in History, Justice/Legal, Politics | 20470103 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/pmoreno/2009/10/24/the-education-of-congressman-hoyer/The+Education+of+Congressman+Hoyer2009-10-24+16%3A15%3A34Dr.+Paul+Moreno

Message to Feds: Enough! Remember the 10th Amendment

As the federal government continuously churns out ideas and policies that drive our nation deeper and deeper in debt, citizens and taxpayers are right to be worried. From federal “stimulus” bills that force state governments to change laws, raise taxes and increase spending, to cap and trade proposals that will run our energy industry into the ground, to emerging plans for an unprecedented and unsustainable expansion of government health care, it is clear that the swollen river of our federal government has overflowed its banks.

 Washington is increasingly out of step with folks out here in flyover country who do not share the inside-the-Beltway belief that a benevolent, all-knowing government can expand and encroach without limit, because individual Americans simply cannot be trusted to make right choices.

This mindset has driven the explosive growth of the size, spending and intrusiveness of the federal government. Our founding fathers would be appalled at the way their successors are ignoring individual liberties, contemplating more tax increases and interfering further into private enterprise.

Washington bureaucrats must be reminded that America is not some windowless laboratory where they can tinker with theories with no regard to consequences. Real harm is resulting from policies that are disastrous for America’s future, bankrupting our country, and mortgaging our children’s future. Fear of this emerging future and frustration with an administration run amok are fueling the resurgent interest in the 10^th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “We the people” are standing up and demanding an audience.

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Tags: 10th Amendment, Bobby Jindal, bureaucrats, First Amendment, Haley Barbor
Posted Sep 15th 2009 at 9:00 am in Congress, Featured Story, History | 332681 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/rperry/2009/09/15/message-to-feds-enough-remember-the-10th-amendment/Message+to+Feds%3A+Enough%21+Remember+the+10th+Amendment2009-09-15+16%3A00%3A00Gov.+Rick+Perry+%28R-TX%29