Posted by
Defend America on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 3:17:56 PM
| Ensign, DeMint to Force Vote on Health Care Bill Unconstitutionality
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December 22, 2009
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina)
and John Ensign (R-Nevada), raised a Constitutional Point of Order on
the Senate floor against the Democrat health care takeover bill on
behalf of the Steering Committee, a caucus of conservative senators.
The Senate will vote tomorrow on the bill’s constitutionality.
“I am incredibly concerned that the Democrats’ proposed individual
mandate provision takes away too much freedom and choice from Americans
across the country,” said Senator Ensign. “As an American, I felt the
obligation to stand up for the individual freedom of every citizen to
make their own decision on this issue. I don’t believe Congress has the
legal authority to force this mandate on its citizens.”
“Forcing every American to purchase a product is absolutely
inconsistent with our Constitution and the freedoms our Founding
Fathers hoped to protect,” said Senator DeMint. “This is not at all
like car insurance, you can choose not to drive but Americans will have
no choice whether to buy government-approved insurance. This is nothing
more than a bailout and takeover of insurance companies. We’re forcing
Americans to buy insurance under penalty of law and then Washington
bureaucrats will then dictate what these companies can sell to
Americans. This is not liberty, it is tyranny of good intentions by
elites in Washington who think they can plan our lives better than we
can.”
Americans who fail to buy health insurance, according to the
Democrats’ bill, would be subject to financial penalties. The senators
believe the bill is unconstitutional because the insurance mandate is
not authorized by any of the limited enumerated powers granted to the
federal government. The individual mandate also likely violates the
“takings” clause of the 5th Amendment.
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http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=b79b1356-9b27-749f-d210-39abc312e868