from Rob Port at the SayAnything blog:
Apparently deciding that the risk of angering his constituents over a failure to act against Obamacare was worse than angering his Attorney General, Wayne Stenehjem, who holds that the state cannot pass laws contradicting federal law, Governor Jack Dalrymple signed SB2309. (click here to read about the health care nullification act in N.D.)
The bill affirms that North Dakotans have the right to buy, or not buy, whatever health insurance they want. This law is statute. A previous bill that would have amended the constitution with similar language was defeated with a gang of 29 House Republicans voting with Democrats at the behest of Stenehjem to kill it.
This bill was discussed on Fox News recently by state nullification proponent Tom Woods and Judge Andrew Napolitano. “The new state law, if signed by Dalrymple, says the federal health insurance law can’t interfere with North Dakotans’ decision to buy health insurance or not buy health insurance,” wrote the editorial board of the Minot Daily News though the paper went on to say that the law “won’t make a difference” because state law “can’t override a federal law.”
This, of course, isn’t true. The states are under no obligation to abide by federal laws that are unconstitutional. And since that is the State of North Dakota’s official position on Obamacare in a multi-state lawsuit challenging the law, this law passed by the legislature and signed by the governor is appropriate.
Kudos to Dalrymple for having the courage many other political leaders in this state do not.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Recently, Idaho’s Governor Otter signed an order refusing state compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). With this signature, North Dakota is now the first state in the country to pass into law the Health Care Nullification Act.
The Tenth Amendment Center has released the Federal Health Care Nullification Act, which directly nullifies the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” on a state level. Click here to learn more about the bill. CLICK HERE to track the Nullification Act in states around the country.
You might want to read the Constitution-Article 6. (Not Amendment 6, but Article 6 of the Constitution).
“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any state to the Contrary notwithstanding”.
Maybe the North Dakota Attorney General had a point.
I was born in Wahpton and lived in Dwight, North Dakota. I have relatives all over the state and in Minnesota. I hope no harm come to anyone due to the Floods.
I was born in Wahpeton and lived in Dwight, North Dakota. I have relatives all over the state and in Minnesota. I hope no harm come to anyone due to the Floods.
For the rest of you I would like to ask how many of you commenting are required by your state laws to have Auto Liability insurance. The reason most states are now going that direction is due to uninsured claims that are sending the costs of insurance sky rocketing. If you are the one hit by an uninsured motorist, good luck. If your insurance company paid (without making your life hell) they would then raise your rates due to your involvement in an accident. Now do any of you see the similarities to healthcare? No, probably not.
If I remember correctly, the president told the Governors at a White House meeting, that if they did not like the healthcare format, he was willing to have each of them come up with their own healthcare format for their states. Only one state has followed through on his offer. It is so much easier to complain that to actually do something.
Sugar231,
I am not sure if you are from North Dakota or any state that has been hit by a natural disaster. If you are, I am sure there are plenty of taxpayers from other states who do not want to pay for natural disaster damages with their taxes. Why should they. It's the states problem, so let them fix it. Right? Tell FEMA to save the cost of the trailers and supplies they give to disaster victims and discontinue all financial assistance from the Federal Government. Why should taxpayers from other states have to spend their tax dollars to help some other US Citizen when they had nothing to do with it and it didn't affect them? That way we can use the money to pay down the deficit. That should make Merrill happy.
Kudos to North Dakota!
However, since the ultimate goal is to bankrupt the country, it makes no difference whether the states follow/enforce the federal law or not. The idea is for the federal government to spend the money. Getting something for it is totally irrelevant. Just take a look at all the foolish "programs" that have been instituted by the federal government over the past 100 years. None of them are designed to be affective in any way, other than to spend us into unsustainable debt.
This has absolutely nothing to do with one party or the other. If you look at them both, other than finding social points over which to argue, there is very little difference. That's because they all belong to the same controlling institution, which is the CFR. This is no conspiracy theory. It's all proven fact and mostly by direct admission from the CFR itself. The theory part has been out for years. We're being enslaved by both Democrats and Republicans. If you doubt that for a minute, just take a look at GWB's record and compare it to Obama. The only difference is volume, but the beat is the same.
Best news in a long time. Other states should follow suit ASAP!
effing cool, north dakota!
jack dalrymple for president
thank you for been the first American republic braking the changes of slavery from the de facto government in washington d.c we will follow your example look at us homeland security we are aware of everything you doing may god bless America
You're right PDaddy,..the Government was hijacked a very long time ago, probably from the beginning when they assassinated Lincoln, not to mention the phony war of Independence, with England then and now running North America for the Vatican Jesuit General Black Pope. Everything is a scam against the people. Leaders Presidents are selected not elected, and both Rep& Dem Parties are but two heads of the same Beast (JES GEN). …and they control the farce of a Medical Society as well, where there are never and cures, just fund raisers, ..and the prescribing of killer drugs and vaccines. Cures are cheap and plentyful and easy at home to administer. These people that rely on Big Pharma's puppets, the doctors, ..and want to rely on the criminal war mongering genocidal Government that refers to them as cattle, beasts and useless eaters , need to bang their head against the wall and get a life. Hats off to North Dakota !
Americans, you do not want nationalized heath-care. EU has mandatory health-care insurance. No big deal, the payment is taken directly from our wages. However, we still need to pay for our medicine, for each doctor-visit we must pay 2 USD, in emergency room we must pay 7 USD ( to purchase a ticket in a machine before seeing a doctor), for a stay in hospital we must pay 7 US/ a day. We must sign a promissory note about outstanding debt (before being admitted). I personally saw a blind lady who had no 2 US dollars and asked if she can bring the money next day – the doctor called police on her. She was not treated. Hospitals are set to receive private payments (cash) from patients – prices similar what you Americans pay (very high). Only 2% (in small towns 50%) beds in hospitals are covered by mandatory insurance. Many types of treatments are also not covered. So we still need to pay.
When we are unemployed, the state will cover our mandatory health-insurance. But we need to be registered at social services – we get paid about 5 dollars/a day (equivalent of your food stamps) up to 6 months period. Social services can enter any time and search our home, banks are obliged to give them detailed bank statements (of every transaction) and we must show up every month for an interview. Missing this appointment with the social services (even by 5 minutes) is penalized by taking us of the register. When we are not registered, we must pay about 200 US/monthly for the mandatory health insurance (with high interests if we are late with payments). What is next? The government take our car, our home, our land.
Americans, wake up!
woot, pack the kids momma, we going to N. Dakota
Peter in the UK
First off the health care plan of Obamas is not free some poor bugger got to pay in taxes in their wages…what you will find will happen like it does here in the UK you find yourself paying more and more taxes each year into the helth care but the state reduces the health care services so in the end you pay more and more for less and less services…our helth care is almost at the point of just being a tax with nearly no services at all…people are left to die in their beds here on the national health and I am not joking.
I know it's difficult for people to move past the left/right paradigm we have going in this country. It's hard because it's been that way from almost the beginning but the FACT remains, and it is fact ladies and gentleman, that our government was hijacked decades ago and they are all for sale and not just for domestic agendas but foreign ones as well. To the highest bidder goes the votes. Left wing/Right wing; it's the same damn bird people. Sure they argue along different lines but the end result is the same; more government. They both want it. How's the hope and change treating everyone? He ran on lies. I know that's hard to swallow but again, it's FACT. And Bushy was no different. He did more to disarm the american people of their liberties than all other presidents before him combined. SAME BIRD people. They all want control and power. They all want to tell you what to do because you don't know any better. Thank God states like ND have the cojones (sp) to stand up to Big Brother. The next step is secession. People are waking up and for those that have yet to, it's time to just sit down and listen to the rest of us that have actually been paying attention for the past few decades. Abolish the FED, end the IRS and give back States Rights. Do this and we will have solved 95% of our problems in America. The rest of the problems can be managed/fixed by firing all elected officials and starting over.
what about a Bill that makes it mandartoruy that any laws that apply to us, apply to member of Congress as well.
And next, limit terms and dump their lifeime pensions and the same health care plans we have to pay for (not for free).
if ONLY the groomed American republic would respond the same as after they found out about Bin Laden's ninth death:
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Don't tread on me! thats what I say….don't force me to do anything… Or I will consider that an attack upon my liberty and my pursuit of happiness……!
I think that you have forgotten that Democrats were in charge of the House and the Senate during the last 2 years of the Bush administration. As we all know, it is the House that holds the purse strings. President Obama has had his chance but everything he has touched just turns to crap so I say that it's time to move on in 2012. Besides, I thought we were talking about health care and that lays squarely on the shoulders of Obama and the Democrats!
Really?! The bill passed and the proposed plan are two entirely different things. Furthermore you can't say that privatization of health care, which the Republicans are so fond of boasting, hasn't screwed over its constituents is well. The fact of the matter is that system is broken in the sense that if you aren't provided care through employer more often than not left out dry. The original proposed plan is a single-payer and would operate similar to a tax; and yes I understand the ideological objections (why should one citizen be burdened with another health care especially if they made choices that deteriorated their health) but look at the alternative. In a world with less government regulation and competition between corporation people would be able to buy health care without government distortions. Would be kinda similar to car insurance and people get to snoop and choose the plan that fits them, sounds peachy right? However in this system it would be based on ability to pay and the relative costs health care would make it so premiums you pay would be severals larger than a car insurance payment (this is based on the comparison between raw costs of health services to damages during a accident – this of course excluding health costs that may incur in an accident). With this system those unable to afford what would be considered comprehensive health care would have nothing to fall back on especially if the bread winner of the family were to fall ill (assuming that it's bad enough that unemployment/other social programs wouldn't cover there time ill). So basically my qualm is what do we do about those people left behind? Throwing this at feet of Democrats, Obama, Republicans without a healthy political discourse because nothing will get done.
There are several things that you and I can agree on but I see that fundamentally we will never agree on this particular issue. Yes the bill that was passed and the proposed plan are not the same bill and that is basically due to the public holding our representatives accountable and forcing these changes. This is something that we must continue to do no matter what the issue is about. Republicans did push privatization of health care but that never came to pass so I don't see where you can say that it has screwed anybody over. You keep mentioning car insurance so I will throw this into the mix…..If a driver were allowed to buy auto insurance across state lines that would bring down the price of the insurance and the same applies to health care. This is only one idea that Republicans tried to have implemented but the Democrats refused to acknowledge. You also said that the system is broken…well, that is something in which we all agree on! That is exactly why I said we should have FIXED the old system instead of taking on the added burden of an entirely new system full of more beauracracy and regulations. We are also gonna be saddled with the burden of more people seeking care(whether they need it or not) and less doctors to actually give the care. It has not worked in Canada or Europe and it will be a complete failure here! Twenty six year olds on mommy's insurance?? Give me a break! At what age do they actually become adults?? Do we have to change the drinking laws and the military enlistment laws now?? At what age should a person have to stand on their own two feet and either succeed or fail??
They have the RIGHT to NOT OBEY Federal Laws tha tare unconstitutional. The AG there should perhaps read the 1997 U.S. Supreme Courts Sheriffs Mack/Printz Ruling ( Printa v. United States 95-1478, 521 U.S. 898 1997). It states in part: "Congress cannot compel the States to enact or enforce a federal regulatory program…The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problem, nor command the States officers, or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program. It matters not whether policy making is involved, and no case-by-case weighing of the burdens or benefits is necessary; such commands are fundamentaly incompatible with our constitutional system of dual sovereignty".
As far as Trump making a circus out of the executive office, I'm afraid that feat has already been accomplished! Our enemies laugh at us and our allies no longer trust us!
our forefathers fought and died for a cause, for many generations. what is this cause? is it forgotten? every night I pray it will not be forgotten, every night I pray that God will avenge America for what has been done to it!
as the result of certain circumstances I live in eastern europe. people around me think America is a joke! MAY GOD AVENGE AMERICA
@ Eyes open….Sorry but I have to disagree with you on a few points. First of all, I don't want to have to pay for someone else's insurance and I certainly don't want to have to pay for someone until they are 26 years old or have to pay for an illegal alien's health insurance! Granted our health system needs an overhaul but this trash that wash pushed upon the American people through back room deals and lies is not the plan that I support! The Obama administration would have been smart to fix the broken system that we had rather than force a system on us that will in the end destroy us all. I'm sure you've heard plenty of people ask "if Obamacare is so good , then why all the waivers"? Why did Congress also elect to opt out of Obama care?? Well, I'm one of many that wants my waiver too and eventually there will be no-one left to pay for this monstrosity!
@sugar231
And the alternative? True our Health Care System is trashed and true that the Obamacare plan isn't the best. My main hang-up on situations like these are how the people who suffer most – those who can't reasonable afford health care – are left out to dry. As for Congress, they opted out because they don't need it. Have you seen the Health Care plans that civil servants are granted? Or better yet how much money does Congress makes? Here's a hint Democratic Herb Kohl owes the Milwaukee Bucks, and you don't get to be that rich on chump change and cutting back for your country.
I already gave you an alternative to health care! I said that we should have fixed the old system rather than embark on a new system with a whole strew of new regulations and beaurecratic BS! As far as people doing without because they can't afford it, I thought that was why we had charity hospitals. Also, you are right about Congress opting out because they don't need it. I don't need it either so why should I pay for someone else's??
I'll answer points these as their presented. Fixing the old system would entail creating an affordable health reform across the board. The problem with that means either going single payer and facing inefficiencies that normally plague government programs or complete privatization, and as I listed in my reply to your other post that put those without the ability to pay at a disadvantage. As for charity hospitals, really!? You want a government that would base a whole demographic's health care on charity? Lastly as for those who would opt out paying for other people go back to the car insurance analogy, basic insurance covers those around you, yeah its a tax but its for the betterment of nation (i.e. more potential to develop human capital because more people are alive). Now I can definitely agree with you those you purposefully endanger themselves (smokers, druggies, jackasses, etc) should definitely be levied a steeper cost (whether its through higher taxes/premiums/etc) however when you ask yourself why should you pay for someone you must consider how differences in income can place otherwise hardworking families at a disadvantage.
Finally I'd like to leave you with a bit perspective from my outlook. I honestly believe that health care should be held in the same regard as education or national defense, ideally I'd like it to be non-exclusive and non-rival. Is it that way, no, will it be, probably not; however citizens pay taxes which completely pay for both of those services (well greatly subsidize it in the case of college/university level education). Now that's just my personal belief and I am in no way trying to impose that on you, which I feel has been lost in the argument. Just leave bearing in this mind, how would you feel if you couldn't pay for your health or for someone's health that you loved.
So situations like this: http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-27/news/294795…
And this should, replace it: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/washin…
My God I know you have your problems with the Democratic party, but look passed the dogma for a moment. Health is one of the ongoing crisis in our country, it consumes 17% of our GDP, and leaves countless families unable to help their loved ones without financially ruining themselves in the process (and often that isn't enough) but all we can think about is how this brave Governor decided to stand up to some evil federal plan. NEWS FLASH you're playing with people's lives. Not that it matters to him, I mean with his government subsidized health care the woes of us common folk are mere murmurs in the distance to some larger, and let's be truthful corporate, giant shouts of the unjustness of this plan. America its time to WAKE UP! Corruption isn't just something that happens in the Middle East, China, Africa, or for you few diehards still out there the Soviet Union and its allies, but its here rampant in our political system. Just look at this upcoming Presidential election. Donald Trump, the real estate mongrel and "You're Fire!" guy, is running for President – our highest Executive Office – and is making a damn circus show out of it. What happened to healthy political discourse, what happened to serving the people, what happened to making sure America is the best damn country it can be for every person within its boarders?! Now apparently the rich can afford health care despite this being one of the most – if not the most – powerful economies in this world where other countries can provide allocative and comprehensive care to all of its citizens. Its a sad when a twenty year old young man looks at his country, the place where he was told anything is possible if you work hard enough, and see that his dream is slipping before his eyes. Republicans Democrats GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER, because I for one am tired of being at mercy of the highest bidder.
I don't even know where to begin but I will first say congratulations for being young AND paying attention. As someone who is quite a bit older than you it's refreshing. However, do realize ND is the only state in the union (MT might be as well) that is "in the black"? I'm not even from ND but I know how they run their money and I'm pretty sure they know what is best for their own. Yes, healthcare is a huge concern but an even bigger concern is States Rights and the disassembly of the large nanny state that we call the federal government. ND will take care of ND, trust me. You best keep the fight up regarding your last statement; that being there is NO difference between Repubs and Demo's when it's all said and done 'cause our govt was hijacked decades ago and this facade of a political system we call democracy is pretty much dead and if you think the dream is "slipping", you best do a quick reality check 'cause it's on life support with no signs of revival.
I am a retired peace officer on a limited fixed income and I agree with Pdaddy below, it's great that you are young and following the issues because most do not. As an example of how bad Obamacare is, let me provide you with our own personal example. I was injured on the job and retired a few years ago. As part of my retirement package, I receive a small grant of $150 to help cover my healthcare costs, but I am required to use my departments policy which has a high deductible and copay ($10k per occurrence). Myself, my husband and our son is covered on this policy. Due to the requirements in Obamacare, our health insurance rates were raised by 25% at the beginning of this year, bumping our premium payment to over $800 per month. We couldn't afford that, so in order to make up the difference I have stopped taking my blood pressure medications (they also cost about the same amount as 25% of our insurance policy amount). Of course stroke runs in my family and I may die from not taking these medications, but if I want to continue to provide a health insurance policy for my family I have no choice. Since my husband was laid off, this is the only policy available to us.