Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (pictured) has gone a few weeks without making a complete ass of himself, so I guess he felt the need to do something stupid. He, along with about half a dozen other state AGs, is threatening to file suit against the Senate's health care reform bill.
Abbott says the bill is unconstitutional because it would allow the federal government to pick up the tab for Nebraska's portion of expanded Medicaid costs. He said, "The Nebraska Compromise, which permanently exempts Nebraska from paying Medicaid costs that Texas and all other 49 states must pay, may violate the United States Constitution -- as well as other provisions of federal law."
He went on to say, "It's going to be Texas taxpayers who are going to be paying to make up what Nebraska doesn't pay." He makes it sound like this is a huge burden that will fall mainly upon Texans. That's ridiculous. Nebraska is a rural state with only 0.5% of the United States population. They probably have an even smaller percentage of the Medicaid population, and the negligible tab for that will be shared by 99.5% of the United States (not just the 7.8% of the population that lives in Texas).
Abbott did say he probably won't sue until after the law passes. Probably? How could he possibly sue before the bill actually becomes a law. Until it is a law, Texas and the other states are not affected by it -- and neither are any of their citizens. That means they do not have standing to sue, and without standing, the case would be tossed out of court without a decision on any constitutionality.
Now I don't like the Senate bill either, and I'd like to see it fail so Congress can start over and do it right. But I don't doubt the constitutionality of the bill -- even if it we're to become law. It's just a bad bill -- not an unconstitutional one.
But I think Abbott probably knows that. He's just doing what all of Texas' Republican state leaders do. He's protecting his corporate masters and playing to the right-wing base of his party. He'd be doing the same thing even if the "Nebraska Compromise" were not a part of the bill.
He's a Republican, and the party mantra is "No on health care reform" (of any kind).
dear Goddess:please smite him..love jackie
ReplyDeleteFinally, a few states are digging through the closet to find their spines and have decided to snap them back in place, even if for just a short while. I am confident that whatever mess Obama and his henchmen craft as HCR, it will be tied up in court for a long time.
ReplyDeletePerhaps a few a states will dust off some "Sovereignty" bills and assert some of the rights the Constitution empowered them with. I will gladly provide my vote for TX Gov to whichever candidate advocates creating a free and completely independent state militia.
EDHS-
ReplyDeleteYou really are a "died-in-the-wool" teabagger!