GOV.’S LETTER INSTRUCTS GA ATTORNEY GENERAL TO JOIN EFFORT OF AGs NATIONWIDE
To the Honorable Thurbert Baker
Attorney General of Georgia
Dear Attorney General Baker:
RE: H.R. 3590 – “Health Care Reform”
The debate over healthcare policy in Washington, DC has reached a critical juncture now that 60 Senators have agreed to support the latest bill unveiled by Sen. Harry Reid over this past weekend. Under the House and Senate proposals, state spending on Medicaid will increase dramatically and Governors of both parties have repeatedly objected to the path we appear to be rushing toward. One of my Democratic Governor colleagues even called this bill “the mother of all unfunded mandates.”
The leadership of Congress, particularly Senate leadership, understands the financial devastation that is looming for states, which is clearly evidenced by the special deals that have been cut for states that have Democratic Senators with wavering support of the reform. In order to calm the concerns, Senate leadership has granted special exemptions with additional federal dollars to cover the substantial increases in Medicaid costs for a few states while leaving the rest of us to foot the entire bill. Senator Reid’s recent compromise to obtain the support of Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska is the most striking example where the federal government would cover one hundred percent of the cost of all newly eligible Medicaid enrollees in just the State of Nebraska. In addition, the health care legislation grants an additional $300 million in Medicaid aid to the State of Louisiana which secured Senator Mary Landrieu’s support – a deal many are calling the new “Louisiana Purchase.”
Yesterday, seven Attorneys General from across the country confirmed that they are looking at the constitutionality of these special deals. As I have considerable concerns over the constitutionality of these recent actions, I respectfully request that you join your colleagues from Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas and Washington state in investigating the constitutionality of these special exemptions in the health care legislation and explore the availability of any legal challenges that Georgia could pursue to oppose this unconscionable scenario.
Congress appears to be on the cusp of making a decision that will have ripple effects for decades to come. Now is the time to ensure that any decision that is made has been thoroughly vetted and deemed to meet the intent and spirit of our country’s Constitution.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely
Governor Sonny Perdue
SOURCE: Georgia.gov website.
“13 state AGs threaten suit over health care deal
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AP – FILE – In this Thursday, June 7, 2007 file photo, South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster announces …
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By MEG KINNARD, Associated Press Writer – Thu Dec 31, 12:45 am ET
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Republican attorneys general in 13 states say congressional leaders must remove Nebraska’s political deal from the federal health care reform bill or face legal action, according to a letter provided to The Associated Press Wednesday.
“We believe this provision is constitutionally flawed,” South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster and the 12 other attorneys general wrote in the letter to be sent Wednesday night to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
“As chief legal officers of our states we are contemplating a legal challenge to this provision and we ask you to take action to render this challenge unnecessary by striking that provision,” they wrote.
In a rare Christmas Eve vote, Senate Democrats pushed sweeping health care legislation to the brink of Senate passage, crushing a year-end Republican filibuster against President Barack Obama’s call to remake the nation’s health care system. The 60-39 vote marked the third time in as many days Democrats posted a supermajority needed to advance the legislation.
The letter was signed by top prosecutors in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington state. All are Republicans, and McMaster and the attorneys general of Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania are running for governor in their respective states…………..”
You don’t see Georgia here do you? Sonny: What happened to Thurbert and you in this?
Having lived in the state of Georgia for 14 years , and being exposed to their own special brand of “good ole boy” networking, please don’t be misled by Perdue’s latest “grandstand” play. I received my latest Ad Valorem property tax bill, on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2009, Christmas Eve. Unbeknownst to me, and a fact I found out today, 4 days later due to the long holiday weekend, the Governor had surreptitiously, in the dead of night sometime during the past year, repealed a valuable homestead exemption. I’m 75 years old and semi-invalid after suffering congestive heart failure last April, from which I’ve yet to recover back to normal….considering the fact that our Social Security COLA was removed, and my “Prescription Plan” had increased, my net S.S. has dropped from last year…. now, back to, and as a direct result of Gov. Perdue’s repeal, my property taxes for the year 2009 have exactly doubled,.. a 100% increase. Ovomit’s net of destruction has been cast far and wide….. I would guess you could call it “trickle down robbery”. Perdue doesn’t plan to run for re-election next cycle so it is now apparent we, the senior citizens, no longer enjoy a place on his priority list……..As a commenter said above, Perdue is, indeed, a “big talker”………I hope the Gov. had a better Christmas than I had……
Why is he limiting this to Health care bill?
Obama has never showed he is legally in office.
Why are they not putting pressure on OIP to release all Obama’s records?
Where is Rep Nathan Deal letter? I have not heard anything since NOV. On this.
WAKE UP STATES all this is constitutional issue!!!!
Oh and by the way why are they not asking Queen Nancy to produce the proof she used to certify Obama to be eligible to be President?
Nathan Deal sent the letter. I called his office in DC last week. (202)225-5211. Deal needs to stay on it. Let’s see if he does.
Sonny Perdue ie a big “talker” much like Georgia Congressman Nathan Deal. Deal made the news last month when he announced he would ask Obama for his birth certificate. I haven’t seen any action on that! Have you? Deal is also running for Governor next year. I hope one of these guys will walk the walk now that they have talked the talk, but I have my doubts! I hope they both prove me wrong and suceed in both efforts!
While I applaud what this Governor and others are doing, the fact of the matter is that the majority of “We the People” do NOT want this health care reform. For me, it isn’t the cost, it’s the removing of our liberties to choose for ourselves the most personal of our needs…..medical care for our own bodies. The whole bill is against the Constitution and a rope around the neck for every American citizen. It will only enforce that we all be controlled by the government. I wonder how long it will be before they deny medical care to anyone who isn’t a Radical Leftist? As the governor above pointed out, only those states with high Democratic gvmt got nice packages of tax payer money to offset the cost of some of the expense of the health care bill. This isn’t the first time there’s been discrimination because of beliefs or political affiliations.
I don’t know much about Gov. Perdue, but I like what I see here. People can still stop Harry Reid’s Steamroller Express by taking timely, sensible action such as Perdue’s. The fight against Obamacare ain’t over till it’s over. Fight on, Governor!