With one stroke of a ceremonial pen, President Obama ignored the will of the American people and pressed on with an unpopular, unwise plan that gives Washington, D.C. sweeping control over America’s health care industry. The President’s health care “reform” package will usher in the largest unfunded mandate our country has ever seen.
The Constitution of the State of Georgia requires that we maintain a balanced budget, while Washington can continue to write checks with nothing in the bank. We are currently going through the worst financial recession our state has seen since the Great Depression, and now hundreds of millions of dollars will be added to our budget if this plan is implemented in Georgia. There will be no way to balance the budget without tax increases or severe cuts to essential services like education or public safety.
Under the President’s plan, private insurance premiums will increase and that will force businesses to choose between either hiring new employees or providing health care coverage. At a time when job creation and economic growth are Georgia’s top priorities, this new health care plan will stifle growth and take away hard-earned money from Georgia’s families.
With our constitutional rights and state budget under attack from this unwanted and unfunded federal mandate, Georgia’s conservative leaders decided enough was enough. Washington may not wish to hear our voices, but it is hard to ignore loud and clear legislative action.
I voted to adopt House Resolution 1086, which would allow the people of Georgia to finally have their voices heard on this “reform” process. HR 1086 would allow Georgians to vote in November on whether to add an amendment to the Constitution. The amendment would simply state: “Shall the Georgia Constitution be amended so as to provide that no law or rule or regulation shall compel any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in any health care system AND to authorize persons and employers to pay directly for lawful healthcare services without penalties or fines?”
Georgia needed to act and let its residents send a clear message to Washington that this health care plan will cripple our state budget, suffocate economic development, and violate our individual rights.
Sadly, my Democratic colleagues in the House voted against this measure twice, blocking the required two-thirds majority needed to adopt any Constitutional Amendment.
This vote would not have prevented someone from buying into the federal health care plan in our state; it simply would protect your freedom to purchase a private insurance plan, sign up for a government health care plan, or chose not to buy health insurance at all. HR 1086 would protect the rights of every Georgian, giving them the right to choose what is best for them and their families.
Thankfully, Governor Perdue has stated he will appoint a special attorney general to join with other states seeking legal options to stop this plan. Meanwhile, I will continue to fight for proven, free-market solutions to expand health care access and to decrease insurance costs for all Georgians, like House Bill 1184, which allows Georgians to buy health care from other states, opening up the marketplace and letting competition drive down costs.
Acting to embrace true conservative principles and standing up for our individual rights and freedoms is the only way to bring about true health care reform. While our outrage at big-government expansionist policies handed down from Washington reached unprecedented levels last month with the passage of the health care reform package, I encourage you stay engaged and ensure the fever pitch of our frustration coincides with the elections in November. We need to remain steadfast and resolute in our fight to restore the freedoms and liberties we cherish. I assure you that I will continue to fight for the common-sense conservatives principles that will help to our state move forward once again.
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