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UPDATE 1-Virginia to sue U.S. over healthcare reform
* Virginia to file lawsuit after Obama signs bill into law
* AG: Congress lacks power to force insurance purchases
NEW YORK, March 22 (Reuters) - Virginia's attorney general said he plans to sue the federal government over the healthcare reform legislation, saying Congress lacks authority to force people to buy health insurance.
Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli, a Republican, said on Monday that Congress lacks authority under its constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce to force people to buy insurance. He said the bill also conflicts with a state law that says Virginians cannot be required to buy insurance.
"If a person decides not to buy health insurance, that person by definition is not engaging in commerce," Cuccinelli said in recorded comments. "If you are not engaging in commerce, how can the federal government regulate you?"
Cuccinelli said he plans to file his lawsuit in federal court in Richmond, Virginia, after President Barack Obama signs the bill into law, which he is expected to do.
The bill requires most Americans to have health coverage, and provides subsidies to help lower-income workers afford it. [ID:nLDE62L01U]
No Republican voted for the bill, which passed the House on Sunday night by a 219-212 vote. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; editing by John Wallace)
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I sit outside this morning with my dog Archie at my side. It is 9:00 AM, warm, sunny and clear. The birds are singing, calling the sun into the sky with their precious songs. Somewhere a woodpecker is hard at work, hammering away at some hard old oak. As I sit here, on this second day of spring, enjoying the peace and quiet and beauty of this day, I am only troubled. A knot in the pit of my stomach keeps me from really enjoying the morning. Is this it? Is this the day that the United States of America ceases to be the “…land of the free and home of the brave?” Is this the day that we slip quietly, or loudly, beneath the waves of 3rd world, banana republic tyranny?
Today, just 30 miles from where I sit, elected leaders of this land will, in good conscience, vote, blatantly and proudly, against the will of the citizenry of this country. They will vote to take away a huge slice of the dwindling freedoms we have left and put the government in full charge of our lives. How we’ll eat, sleep, live, work, dress, play, rest, entertain, travel, live and die. All things can be tied to health care.
What is the last line of defense against this? I’m not sure. Obviously it isn’t the elected representatives of this country. Will it be the Attorneys General of the US states, dragging this mess into court? Governors refusing the Federal mandate? Citizens rioting? Call me jaded, but I can’t see these things happening, or happening effectively. The Attorneys General will bluster and sue, but do you really have any faith in the high court system of this country? The same people who skirt the legislative branches of government and make law themselves whenever they can? Governors may push back, but that didn’t help them when the government mandated national drinking ages and seat belt laws on to the states, blackmailing them into subservience by withholding Federal money that states have become way too dependent upon.
The fact is, AGs and Governors derive their power from the governed. More so than the Federal reps. And my fear, as has been seen in the past, is that the governed will slowly become sedated sheep, gladly accepting their new government entitlement. Removing the foundation of support that AGs and Govs will need to pursue the issue. Like the Clinton years, with all the blatant and obvious scandals, after a while people were tired of it. They wanted to just move on and forget about it. An attitude I see coming forth after today. Sure, people will yell and stamp their feet for a while. Perhaps through the summer, and perhaps even to Nov. They may give both houses of congress to the Republican party. But after that, they’ll learn that even Republican majorities can’t make an entitlement go away. As much as it’s a political death sentence to any Democrat who votes today for this mess, it’s a political death sentence to ANY representative that openly fights to take away an entitlement.
So, citizens rioting? Would you believe that’s what our Dear Leader would prefer? One sure recognizable feature of a 3rd world, banana republic, it constantly protesting citizens. When the Dear Leader doesn’t listen to the governed, when elected representatives don’t listen to their constituents and when the (state run) media doesn’t report the concerns of the citizens, the people have to either raise their voices to try to be heard, or give up and accept. Protests, marches, even riots, are what Dear Leader wants. Once you have chaos then you can propose real “change”. Tell the folks that Representative Democracy doesn’t work (The government is ignoring you!), tell them that capitalism doesn’t work (You don’t have a job!), and that it’s time to throw away these old notions and bring a “new” style of government and economics to this nation.
But I digress.
So, unless things change between now and 2:00 PM, this afternoon, this country, as we’ve known it is over. Government and citizens will be overburdened with debt, small business and industry will be destroyed and we will never again see the great days. I can’t see things changing, so we go. Past the balance point on the precipice, over the edge and into the darkness.
Enjoy this day, wherever you are. Go out to eat. Spend time with family and friends. Do something fun. Share stories of past days. Remember this country and life here for what it was and used to be, because it will never be that way again.
Goodby United States of America, hello Socialist States of America.
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