[StBernard] Bad for Louisiana

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends -

The health care mandate that came out of Washington, D.C. late Sunday marked
an unconstitutional expansion of federal power.and left many wondering if
folks in D.C. remember the 10th Amendment?

<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c097%7c9390&digest
=emE8LY9Wwn9tZdSfvsGu5g>
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c098%7c9390&digest
=uDs1fPf5dEjkDnu532hpgA> Yesterday we began working with our Louisiana
Attorney General to join with other states in asserting our constitutional
rights afforded to us by the 10th Amendment, which protects citizens against
this federal overreach, as the Times Picayune reported.
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c099%7c9390&digest
=%2fSDMT%2boYshv7rFXNyr6NIg> 

I encourage everyone in Washington, D.C. to pick up a copy of the U.S.
Constitution and read it. The health care mandate's requirement on all
citizens to purchase insurance is fundamentally an unconstitutional
expansion of federal power. The federal government simply cannot force
Americans to buy a certain product as a requirement of being an American.
This is plainly unconstitutional, and for those who argue that it is not, I
ask them, where does it stop? What will the federal government mandate that
Americans buy next?

Additionally, this health care mandate also paves the way for taxpayer
funding of elective abortions. We have already started working on
legislation to ensure that no Louisiana tax dollars pay for abortions under
the state exchange, created under this legislation. 

The bottom line is that this health care bill is bad for Louisiana and bad
for our country. It is a trillion dollar spending bill in times of record
deficits, and it has been reported that the actual costs of the bill will
actually be around $2.4 trillion.  The bill also cuts more than a half
trillion dollars from the Medicare program, imposes new taxes totaling
$569.2 billion on Americans, and raises taxes on medical products. It also
slashes our rural and public hospital funding, on top of a $200 million cut
the federal government already handed these hospitals. 

Thank you for your continued support.  

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal