Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Franks Reaction to Ruling on Individual Mandate


December 13, 2010 — Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) issued the following statement today regarding the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson, which declared a key component of the Democrats’ health care law to be unconstitutional. Specifically, the ruling found that Congress lacks the authority to impose the law’s “individual mandate” – which would force every American to purchase government approved health insurance.



"Today's ruling by a U.S. District Court is the beginning of the unraveling of the Obama-Reid-Pelosi government health care takeover.


"On a philosophical level, the ruling underscores the fact that an individual mandate — the idea that the government can legislate a compulsory requirement for an individual to buy something — is diametrically opposed to the greatest ideals the founding fathers held when they created a system of government grounded on the freedom of the individual and his unassailable right to self-government and self-determination.


"On a pragmatic level, I believe this ruling may well prove the death rattle of the entire health care takeover, because of the unsustainable burden this will place on insurance companies. The ability of insurance companies to insure every single American depended upon the massive influx of revenue that would have resulted in all individuals being forced to buy insurance. Without that, the healthy will opt out of the insurance, the sick will continue to use it, and ultimately this may well bankrupt the insurance industry.

"Because of all that is at stake, it is critically important that this case receive expedited review before the Supreme Court.


"I sincerely hope that the Obama Administration and liberals in Congress will finally take notice of this public indictment of their radically out-of-touch, ideological agenda, and stop trying to enact legislation— particularly during the lame duck session— whether DADT, or ratification of the New START Treaty, or anything else that is fundamentally opposed by a vast majority of the American people."


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Congressman Franks is serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Readiness Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary, and is Ranking Member on the Constitution Subcommittee.

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