This article also appears in the May 2010 print edition of The Constitutionalist Today.
We fought the good fight. We gave it all we had. And in the end, the nightmare that is ObamaCare became reality as President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010. But take heart. We can stop the ObamaCare choke in Colorado.
This battle has never been about health care. It’s ultimately about forcing a Marxist agenda designed to irreversibly grant complete citizen control to the federal government. It’s about reversing the proper role of state and citizen to one of complete citizen dependence on the nanny state. It’s designed to choke your freedoms and crush individual rights.
Is this the end of the battle? No way. Not as long as that eternal spark of freedom burns in our hearts. We can never let anyone or anything extinguish that flame. Colorado is poised to push back against ObamaCare from a couple of angles: a federal lawsuit and a ballot initiative, each expanded below. In the short term, both require us to stay vigilant and focused through November.
The Tenth Amendment
To understand this stage in the battle for freedom from ObamaCare, familiarize yourself with the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It reads: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Basically, the 10th Amendment protects individual states’ rights from unconstitutional federal laws and regulations. In a time when lawmakers continue to relentlessly pass laws increasing the role of government in our lives, the 10th Amendment is a weapon we must wield now to protect freedom.
Attorney General Suthers Files Lawsuit
As of this writing, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers has joined over a dozen other state attorneys general and filed a lawsuit against the federal government challenging the health care mandate. From AG Suthers’ website www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov, here is the basis for the lawsuit:
“The individual mandate to purchase insurance or suffer economic sanction violates constitutional principles and lacks constitutional authority. The Constitution … does not give the Congress the power to compel a citizen … to purchase a product or service and thereby become subject to congressional regulation. Such an expansion of the current understanding of the Commerce Clause would leave no private sphere of individual commercial decision making beyond the reach of the federal government. It would render the 10th Amendment meaningless. The lawsuit also will challenge the constitutionality of the penalties included in the legislation for individuals that decide to forgo purchasing health insurance.”
AG Suthers must be applauded and supported in this critical action. More importantly, he is up for re-election this November. Organized liberal activist groups are already mobilized and preparing to upset the election in favor of his opponent. If his liberal opponent wins, our state will be withdrawn from the lawsuit. If freedom is going to win, Suthers must win in November. He needs the support and vote of every Colorado citizen who loves freedom.
Colorado Right to Health Care Choice Ballot Initiative
Jon Caldara, President of the Independence Institute based out of Golden, Colorado, has written an initiative for the November 2010 ballot titled “Right to Health Care Choice.” If we the people take ownership of this, successfully put it on the ballot and pass it, we will amend the Colorado Constitution and empower Colorado to exercise its 10th Amendment rights specifically against ObamaCare. In part, the amendment states:
“All persons shall have the right of health care choice. No statute, regulation, resolution or policy adopted or enforced by the State of Colorado, its departments and agencies independently or at the instance of the United States shall require any person to participate in any public or private health benefit plan or system, deny, restrict or penalize the right of any person to make or receive direct payments for lawful health benefit services, nor deny, restrict or penalize the right of any person to purchase and use health insurance products or other health benefit plans or systems legal for sale in any other state where such plans or systems are duly licensed or otherwise qualified and in good standing in the provider’s home state.”
This amendment would free Colorado citizens from ObamaCare’s choking effects and make Colorado a sanctuary state for quality health care. It empowers Coloradans to opt out of the oppressive health insurance mandates contained within ObamaCare, because we would not be forced to participate in any health insurance plan, nor would we be penalized for paying cash for health care.
If Colorado is going to free itself from Obamacare and successfully realize its 10th Amendment rights, every freedom-loving Coloradan must take action now. The initiative must collect 120,000 petition signatures by July 10, 2010. This campaign depends completely on the efforts and resources of Coloradans like you. Take charge and commit to 3 things now:
1) Sign the petition. You must be a Colorado citizen and a registered voter.
2) Circulate the petition for signatures. Sign up at www.i2i.org.
3) Donate to the initiative campaign. Any amount helps win for freedom. It’s easy to donate online at www.i2i.org.
It’s Not Too Late – You Can Save Freedom
At this critical juncture in history, freedom is crying out and needs a tenacious defense. It’s up to you and me to take ownership of this state and preserve freedom. We can protect her if we act with determination now. Let’s flex our state’s rights granted in the Constitution and stop the ObamaCare choke in Colorado.
Time is of the essence. Spread the word about the Colorado Right to Health Care Choice ballot initiative. Make copies of this article and hand to friends, or email a link to them.
Your personal involvement will ensure that Colorado remains a leading voice and state for freedom and against ObamaCare. To receive the latest information in the health care battle, sign up for my health care updates online at www.Mom4Freedom.com.
Pray without ceasing and never give up. Now let’s take it back.
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