[The following was the lead article on “The Michigan View,” an opinion portal of the Detroit News.] The Republican Party battle between the establishment and the tea party took another twist today, with a would-be populist throwing his weight behind the candidate of the establishment, Mitt Romney. Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota, has endorsed Mitt Romney as the Republican’s 2012 standard-bearer. You might remember […]
Health care
What’s Good for ObamaCare is Bad for Minnesota Jobs
When industry trade groups and companies talk about public policy, they often engage in special pleading, asking for special tax breaks or regulatory preferences. But sometimes their claims do in fact serve the public interest–especially when they call attention to unusual taxes or onerous regulations. Such is the case with the medical hardware industry and its beef against a tax levied on it as part […]
A Modest Defense of Romney
As Henry Payne notes, Mitt Romney has not backed down on his defense of RomneyCare, or as I like to call it, ObamaCare 1.0 That’s disappointing, but I will give Romney credit for framing it in terms of federalism. If I recall correctly, his defense is that it’s not something he would advocate for the whole country, but it was something that reflects what Massachusetts wanted. […]
An Interstate Compact as a Bulwark Against Federal Overreach
My friends at the North Dakota Policy Council alerted me to yet another arrow that advocates of health care freedom have in their quiver: an interstate health care freedom compact. Coupled with lawsuits and variations on the Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act, interstate compacts form an interesting and perhaps successful action against an overreaching federal government. Dr. Frankenstein’s monster popularly known as ObamaCare may have […]
House Repeal Vote: Latest Salvo in Health Care Battle
As you probably know by now, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). Legally, it means nothing, since it’s only an action of one chamber of Congress. Politically, it shows that Republicans may have gotten the message that the law is unpopular, and filled with problems. The Washington Post called it the “first major act of the new Congress,” and […]
A Guide to Repealing ObamaCare
What can state legislatures do to repeal ObamaCare? Plenty, says Christie Herrera of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC has just released The State Legislators Guide to Repealing ObamaCare, which offers legislators plenty of options for defunding ObamaCare, drawing attention to its harmful effects, and otherwise working to undo the increasing rate of “governmentizing” health care. For states, ObamaCare has several harmful effects, including: Increased […]
Michigan should consider dismantling ObamaCare
Gov. Snyder and members of the Legislature certainly have their hands full, but here’s something else they should consider: Fend off ObamaCare. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has just released The State Legislators Guide to Repealing ObamaCare which offers legislators plenty of options for defunding ObamaCare, drawing attention to its harmful effects, and otherwise working to undo the increasing rate of “governmentizing” health care. ObamaCare […]
Courage and Black Humor from Mark Steyn
When the going gets tough, the tough use black humor and courage. That’s one thought I had when reviewing last night’s event with Mark Steyn, presented by the Citizens’ Council on Health Care (CCHC), which as of last night is the Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom. KTLK-FM host Sue Jeffers started things off by saying it was no accident the event was held on Veterans […]
40 Percent of Minnesota House Democrats favor single-payer
Even though Congress enacted ObamaCare over the strenuous objections of the American people, Minnesota’s political leaders may enact something even worse. During this biennium, 35 members of the House DFL caucus–2 out of every 5 members–were cosponsors of HF135. ObamaCare establishes laws and regulations that are likely over time to mean the end of private health care. One thing it does is greatly expand Medicaid, the […]
Missouri Voters Say No to Key Element of ObamaCare
In 1978, California’s Proposition 13 set off a taxpayer revolt that arguably launched a conservative movement that among other things sent Ronald Reagan to the White House. Might the outcome of a ballot proposal in today’s election in Missouri signal something equally significant? In a number of states, groups have put together efforts to challenge ObamaCare through enacting laws or constitutional amendments that say citizens […]