By fitsnews – June 28, 2012
SUPREME COURT DECISION ROUNDLY REBUKED BY PALMETTO STATE LEADERS
South Carolina elected officials swiftly and strongly condemned the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold President Barack Obama’s socialized medicine monstrosity – a.k.a. “Obamacare.” In fact the Palmetto State’s leading fiscal conservative – U.S Sen. Jim DeMint – urged governors across American to take steps to block the state-run “exchanges” that will help administer the law.
Previously many “Republican” state lawmakers (and S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley) supported moving forward with the exchanges – although Haley later flip-flopped and opposed them.
“I urge every governor to stop implementing the health care exchanges that would help implement the harmful effects of this misguided law,” DeMint said. “Americans have loudly rejected this federal takeover of health care, and governors should join with the people and reject its implementation.”
DeMint added that “we cannot build a free market health care system on this flawed structure of centralized government control, we must repeal all of it and start over with commonsense solutions that make health care more affordable and accessible for every American.”
S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson – who represented South Carolina in this landmark case and was on hand for Obamacare oral arguments in Washington D.C. earlier this year – fretted not only the court’s approval of the individual mandate but the costs that will be passed on to South Carolina taxpayers as a result of soaring Medicaid rolls (something our state is already struggling to deal with).
“For states like South Carolina, a catastrophic new reality emerges,” Wilson said. “Under the Act, the states will be forced to expand their Medicaid rolls to unprecedented levels. While the Court ruled today that existing federal money used to fund Medicaid cannot be cut, any new money necessary to fund this explosion of new recipients could be withheld from any state that does not fall in line with Congress’ wishes. Many states will simply not be able to afford this new onerous mandate.”
Members of South Carolina’s House delegation also blasted the ruling.
“Government is now able to make you do anything by penalizing you with a tax,” U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney said. “If future governments don’t like marriage it will be able to tax you if you want to get married. That goes both ways – for traditional and gay marriage. If future governments want to limit the size of families it can tax second and third children. We know there are governments around the world who do this. The Supreme Court today has ruled we are just like them.”
Meanwhile U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan moved to frame the issue along the lines of the upcoming 2012 presidential election.
“There’s no way we can repeal ObamaCare and enact the types of common sense health care reforms Americans deserve as long as (Obama)’s in the White House,” Duncan said. “Ultimately, the next battle in the fight to repeal ObamaCare will be fought by the American people at the ballot box in November.”
Did anyone in South Carolina have anything nice to say about the ruling?
Sure … the chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party.
“This is a huge day for the President and the people of this country,” Dick Harpootlian said. “Americans will now have the opportunity to live a longer, healthier life with a less expensive health care system.
(To read recent statements from elected officials and other news releases, visit our “News and Events” page).
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