Perry raises possibility of states' rights showdown with White House over healthcare

[Hugabear]

Source: Star-Telegram

Gov. Rick Perry, raising the specter of a showdown with the Obama administration, suggested Thursday that he would consider invoking states’ rights protections under the 10th Amendment to resist the president’s healthcare plan, which he said would be "disastrous" for Texas.

Interviewed by conservative talk show host Mark Davis of Dallas’ WBAP/820 AM, Perry said his first hope is that Congress will defeat the plan, which both Perry and Davis described as "Obama Care." But should it pass, Perry predicted that Texas and a "number" of states might resist the federal health mandate.

"I think you’ll hear states and governors standing up and saying 'no’ to this type of encroachment on the states with their healthcare," Perry said. "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."

Perry, the state’s longest-serving governor, has made defiance of Washington a hallmark of his state administration as well as his emerging re-election campaign against U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the 2010 Republican primary. Earlier this year, Perry refused $555 million in federal unemployment stimulus money, saying it would subject Texas to long-term costs after the federal dollars ended.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1504240.html

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I am so sick and fucking tired of rethugs screaming about "states rights" and waving the 10th Amendment around as an excuse to deny their citizens basic human rights. What about the right of Texans to decent health care?

[BlooInBloo]

1. Houston, we have a solution....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCLz7XQOIOQ

[No Elephants]

3. LOLOL.

[Journeyman]

7. Thanks. . . that was great. . .

[Beaverhausen]

18. that was great!

Teabaggerstan!

:rofl:

[No Elephants]

2. Oh, for fuck's sake. Just secede you wing nut traitor and get it over with.

All hat, no cattle.

[OHdem10]

4. We, the ruling class (elites)are not going to be supporting the riff-raff.

[Journeyman]

5. I thought he was going to take his State and secede? . . .

What's it gonna be, Perry? When ya gonna "cowboy-up" and stop all this useless jawin'? Let's see action! (Followed by citizens puttin' the boot to you, ya stupid schmuck.)

[Hugabear]

6. Does seem like a contest between Perry and Ah-nuld doesn't it?

Did the two of them make some sort of wager to see who could screw over their state the worst?

[No Elephants]

8. Don't forget Sanford. The Venezuelan is not all he screwed.

[Hugabear]

9. Shit - we better throw Palin into the mix as well then

Come to think of it, you could pretty much throw any rethug governor into that contest.

[dgibby]

11. No shit!

And now that asshole has taken his family to London for ANOTHER vacation, although he did promise to be a good boy and talk to his staff at least once a day. Between pressers, vacations, and marriage counseling, he doesn't have time to run the state (which,IMO, is a good thing!). The longer he stays away, the better off we are, but it irritates me that we're paying him to NOT do his job.

[TygrBright]

10. Oh, Rick, Rick, Rick.... Keep it up, hon.

There might be one lone human being with more than two brain cells somewhere who still thinks you are the Goob of a big, important state, therefore you must make some kind of sense somehow, some way, somewhere.

It's important that that one lone human being join the rest of us in realizing that you are a clown of monumental proportions, 'leading' your poor, abused state right into the muddy river.

encouragingly,
Bright

[sinkingfeeling]

12. Sure because he rejected the $555 million in April and is now asking for a $170 million loan!

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/07/16/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5166310.shtml

While Perry accepted most of the roughly $17 billion in stimulus funds allocated for Texas, the governor in March rejected $555 million that would have covered state unemployment benefits. Perry said he was not accepting the money because the state would have been obligated to expand its unemployment coverage, creating too much of a long term tax burden.

At the time, Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken reportedly said the state's unemployment compensation trust fund could be operating at a deficit by October. Now that the state's unemployment funds are depleting faster than expected, the governor is asking for a $170 million loan from the federal government, News 8 Austin reports.

"That $555 million would that would have come with the stimulus money wouldn't have to be paid back to the federal government, and that would have saved business taxpayers money for the next 20 years," said Democratic State Rep. Mark Strama, according to News 8 Austin.


Texans, you've got a winner there!

[awoke_in_2003]

13. Texans believe two myths:

1. That when the joined the union they were giving the right to secede at a later date
2. That the texas flag is the only state flag that can fly at the same level as the US flag.

Of course, the flag thing is pure BS, just peruse flag protocol, you will see no such exemption. As to the secession- when texas joined the union it was given the right to divide into 5 states if and when it so desired. Nothing about secession at all. I swear, it can get real tiring fighting the stupid. And with a governor like Perry (and shrub before him) there is a lot of it here.

[anonymous171]

14. That wouldn't be a bad idea. We should allow states to opt out.

We need to stop attempting to drag certain states into the 20th century. If they don't want healthcare then by all means, let them refuse it. I'm sure their citizenry will have something to say about it in a couple of years when they see how well other states are doing.

[Javaman]

16. screw that! I live in austin and I want national healthcare, speak for yourself! nt

[Javaman]

15. all hat and no cattle asshole perry is blathering again...

he has virtually no power.

He's gotten slammed time and time again by our lt. gov and the legislature when he's tried to act tough.

so once again, moron perry tries his hand at acting tough yet again.

I have a prediction Obama: 1, perry: less than zero.

I really can't wait for that enema in human form to get his ass kicked in the election. I've seen piles of dog shit smarter than this fucking jerk.

[Kingofalldems]

17. Freepers excited about this one---Mom's basements smell like adrenaline

all over the USA.

[BlooInBloo]

19. (ahem) That's not adrenaline you're smelling.