The U. S. Constitution

Some people who have bothered to read the Constitution say that a federal system of health care such as the one proposed by the present administration (and by the Clintons back in the ’90s) simply doesn’t have any legal justification. Of course, that hasn’t stopped the Democrats or the Me Too Republicans from proposing — or at least not opposing — such "reforms." Both major parties have been skating outside the strictures of the Constitution for decades, so for Repubs to suddenly grow a backbone and start criticizing their colleagues across the aisle for doing what has been SOP for so long has the faint aroma of hypocrisy about it. (That’s why I call them "Me Too Republicans" — when they see the Dems buying votes through un-Constitutional entitlement programs, they jump on the bandwagon with them, without it seems once referring to the Founding Document to see if it’s legitimate.)

In an article on WorldNetDaily (‘Obamacare:’ What does the Constitution have to say?), Chelsea Schilling consults with Michael Boldin, the founding father of The Tenth Amendment Center, about it. If Boldin’s analysis is correct, the push for universal, government-run health care is no-go from the get-go:

Because the power to regulate each citizen’s medical care is not included among enumerated powers … the federal government does not have the authority to impose a single-payer system. "You have to look to the Constitution and ask, ‘Is health care listed?’" Boldin said. "No. It’s not."

And then there’s the danger of an out-of-control federal government that could result from implementing Obamacare:

… regardless of their political affiliation or position on health care, citizens must ask themselves whether they truly want a government that has no limits. "No matter what side you are on, you don’t want a government that can do whatever it wants whenever it wants because it becomes dangerous," Boldin said. "This is what the Founding Fathers and the entire founding generation had to fight against – a king who could set his own rules and make them up as he goes. Rules may not be a wonderful thing, but when you allow government to do whatever it wants, you are guaranteeing tyranny."

But what if universal federal health care is enacted into law? What can be done to undo it? Some state legislators are already ahead of the curve:

Activists and state legislators are now focusing their efforts on state governments as a way to resist federal health care "reform" and stop federal usurpation of state rights …. Lawmakers in as many as 10 states are considering or seeking to propose bills and resolutions to nullify federal health care in their states …. The Tenth Amendment Center explains nullification: When a state "nullifies" a federal law, it is proclaiming that the law in question is void and inoperative, or "non-effective," within the boundaries of that state; or, in other words, not a law as far as the state is concerned.

There could ultimately be a showdown between the federal government and the states over this. Stay tuned.

Mike Gray