Gov. Goodhair Would Deny Texans Health Care

Texas has a higher percentage of its citizens without health insurance than any other state in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in a report last August, about 25% (or one of every four) of all Texans do not have any kind of health insurance. A Families USA report puts the figure even higher -- somewhere between 7 and 9 million people (that would be between 30-40% of the population).

Making the situation even more ridiculous, more than 82% of these people are in working families. They have jobs and work hard, but still have no health insurance. A reasonable person would think a state with this many people having no health insurance would be happy to see federal health care reform -- reform that would cover all of those who currently have no coverage.

But reason doesn't matter in Texas. Texas has a governor named Rick Perry (elected by only 39% of the vote in a sparse election turnout). This Republican governor long ago sold out to his corporate masters and the lunatic right-wing fringe of his party. These elements don't want any health care reform. They have their insurance -- to hell with everyone else!

Now the governor has gone even further. He not only opposes any health care reform, but now says if health care reform is enacted by the federal government, he would invoke the 10th amendment to keep that reform out of Texas.

Perry told conservative radio host Mark Davis of Dallas, "I think you’ll hear states and governors standing up and saying 'no’ to this type of encroachment on the states with their healthcare. So my hope is that we never have to have that stand-up. But I’m certainly willing and ready for the fight if this administration continues to try to force their very expansive government philosophy down our collective throats."

He went on to say, "It really is a state issue, and if there was ever an argument for the 10th Amendment and for letting the states find a solution to their problems, this may be at the top of the class. A government-run healthcare system is financially unstable. It’s not the solution."

How dare he say such a ridiculous thing! Especially since he has done absolutely NOTHING on the state level to try and provide health insurance or decent health care to the millions of Texans who need it. The only thing he has done regarding health insurance is try to deny health insurance to many poor children through the CHIPS program.

It was bad enough that the governor refused about 160 million in stimulus money to help the unemployed of Texas, but to deny health insurance and care to sick and dying people for a cause of "states rights" is beyond bad -- it is downright evil.

If this fool follows through on his awful promise, he will be denying preventive care to more than a quarter of Texas' population. They will only get care when they are seriously ill (and in many cases too late to be cured) and are willing to wait for 12 to 20 hours in a hospital emergency room. He is willing to let many die that could have been saved if they had health insurance.

Perry simply doesn't care about the people of Texas.