Archive for Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Statehouse Live: Republicans tout health care amendment to nullify proposed government plan
October 27, 2009
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Topeka — Several Republican state lawmakers toured around Kansas on Tuesday pushing for a proposed state constitutional amendment that would prohibit requiring Kansans to buy health insurance under a government plan.
The proposal was touted by the legislators as a pre-emptive strike against health reform authored by Democrats in Congress.
“The federal government does not have the ability to manage health care,” said state Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, and chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee.
Similar efforts have been mobilized in other states by the American Legislative Exchange Council. The Kansas legislators were shuttled to news conferences in Wichita, Emporia, Topeka and Overland Park via bus paid for by Americans for Prosperity, which opposes government expansion of health care.
State Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, R-Shawnee, and state Rep. Peggy Mast, R-Emporia, also spoke at the Topeka event, which was held in the Senate chamber and attended by members of the 9-12 Project and Americans for Prosperity.
Afterwards, the Kansas Democratic Party issued a news release calling the Republican legislators’ efforts partisan and hypocritical.
“Before Kansans even have a chance to review the federal health insurance legislation, Peggy Mast, Brenda Landwehr, and Mary Pilcher-Cook are already moving to force Kansans to opt out of any possible reform,” said Kenny Johnston, executive director of the state Democratic Party.
The proposed amendment will be introduced during the legislative session that starts in January. It would have to be approved by two thirds of the House and Senate before it could go to the voters for consideration in November 2010.
State Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, R-Shawnee, speaks Tuesday during news conference in Senate chamber on her proposed constitutional amendment that would make it unconstitutional to require a person to have health insurance under a proposed government plan. State Rep. Peggy Mast, R-Emporia, is in the background.
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27 October 2009
at 4:39 p.m.
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moderationman (Anonymous) says…
One teensy problem…US Law would supercede a KS constitutional amendment. Its all a form of political master…well you get the drift.
27 October 2009
at 4:50 p.m.
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BABBOY (Anonymous) says…
You are correct moderationman.
This is one of those stupid political moves. They are just trying to get support from the conservatives who will applaud this attempt to defy Obama. Probably the same simpletons who applauded when we did not get the Olympics. .
The federal law would likely preempt the state law. If somehow this passes, which in this stupid state could happen, there could be this kind of strange void. The rest of the nation would be taking advantage of the national health care, but Kansas would be stuck in the court system wasting money to be told they cannot do this….
But, remember the evolution embarrassment, I put this on the same terms……
27 October 2009
at 4:52 p.m.
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ksjayhawk74 (Anonymous) says…
“The federal government does not have the ability to manage health care,” said state Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita…
And what kind of health care do you have Brenda?
Who is it that manages the health care for military members and their families?
27 October 2009
at 5:55 p.m.
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cowboy (Anonymous) says…
AFP started a group called “Patients First” to oppose health care.[3] Patients First conducts bus tours around the country to create opposition to health care reform. Americans for Prosperity/Patients First visit cities and speaks to rally people and encourage them to oppose health care reform by bringing up frightening prospect like “death orders” and “death sentences.” Speakers typically liken Democratically-proposed health care reform to the regimes of Mugabe, Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot. The speaker typically repeats the discredited conservative idea that Democratic health care reform will mandate physician-assisted suicide or death for older members of society. “Adolf Hitler issued six million end of life orders — he called his program the final solution. I kind of wonder what we're going to call ours,” one speaker said. The speaker further advises audience to “go to offices of members of Congress and put the fear of god in them.”[17]
It would be nice if the LJW would take the four seconds it took me to find out who the organizers are and what their agenda is. This is pure corporate right wing propaganda.
Wing nuts!
27 October 2009
at 8:44 p.m.
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jimincountry (Anonymous) says…
Margaret Thatcher: “The trouble with Socialism is, sooner or later you run out of other people's money.”
27 October 2009
at 10:52 p.m.
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Thinking_Out_Loud (Anonymous) says…
A general rule of thumb is that anything that has both Rep. Mast and Rep. Landwehr involved is of questionable intellectual robustness….
27 October 2009
at 11:04 p.m.
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situveux1 (Anonymous) says…
I don't understand the personal attacks.
But opt in or opt out, I still get stuck with the bill, so what's the point?
27 October 2009
at 11:35 p.m.
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Jimo (Anonymous) says…
I refer to the comments I made some moments ago.
28 October 2009
at 9 a.m.
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SettingTheRecordStraight (Anonymous) says…
Should Congress pass a law that forces Americans to buy health insurance, the SCOTUS will correctly step in and rule that such a mandate is unconstitutional.
28 October 2009
at 1:42 p.m.
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temert (Anonymous) says…
I read articles about these folks and all I can think of is the profound comment of Forrest Gump: “Stupid is as stupid does.”
28 October 2009
at 10:38 p.m.
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Stain (Anonymous) says…
We need a strong public option, if we cannot have single payer which would save the most money of all.
$400 billion
That's how much the health insurance industry takes out of the system every year. That would buy a lot of actual care.
no mandates
no triggers
Mandates and triggers do not solve any problems at all.
29 October 2009
at 10:43 a.m.
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JayhawkRCS (Anonymous) says…
In constitutional history, it is referred to as the “Doctrine of Nullification”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky…
Please take the time to educate yourselves on the history and extent of states' rights.
By the way, the US constitution does NOT supercede state constitutions.