States’ Rights Showdown, Texas Style
Texas Governor Rick Perry threatens to invoke the 10th Amendment to fight Obamacare.
Don't mess with Texas
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.”
Most likely, Perry is full of bluster and no bite, but it’s refreshing to see states’ rights being invoked against the coming diktat from Washington. Many Texans have seen their health care options improve from the state going its own way back in 2003, and it’s possible that Perry would have considerable support should he follow through on his smack.
Aside: if ever a pic fit the story of a Texas sheriff defending his turf, the one accompanying the article hits the spot.
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Let A Thousand Nations Bloom 
I have reservations about that phrase, “states’ rights.” States don’t have rights; people do. I think that “state prerogatives” would be better, or “state sovereignty.”
Assuming the Supreme Court actually chose to defend the Constitution strictly, where is the authorization for “Obama Care” in the Constitution, noting that the federal government can’t legally do diddly without explicit authorization?
I guess what I am trying to say is, don’t rule out the 10th amendment here. Of course one still needs a majority of SCOTUS to agree with my point of view for that to happen….