The South has Had Enough of ObamaCare: Tennessee Joins Nullification Train

By James Daniels on January 16, 2014 Subscribe to James Daniels's Feed



It seems the South has had enough of President Obama’s ill-advised healthcare agenda.

As Downtrend reported in December, South Carolina and Georgia are attempting to nullify ObamaCare. Now, a third Southern state has climbed aboard the nullification train.

On Wednesday, Tennessee State Senator Mae Beavers (R – Mt. Juliet) and 10 co-sponsors filed Senate Bill 1680. The bill will go by the title, “The Health Care Freedom and Affordable Care Act Noncompliance Act.”

Citing the Tenth Amendment and other Constitutional provisions, Beavers’ bill would effectively nullify ObamaCare in The Volunteer State by:

  • Banning the use of state assets and powers from being used for it
  • Barring the state and its political subdivisions from participating in or purchasing health insurance from an exchange established by a nonprofit organization
  • Preventing political subdivisions from implementing ObamaCare
  • Prohibiting agents, contractors and employees of the state from assisting in implementing it
  • Prohibiting the state and its political subdivisions from setting up a healthcare exchange



In addition to these measures, the bill contains some strong language aimed at the federal government. It states that the President’s healthcare law “interferes with the right of the people of the State of Tennessee to regulate health care as they see fit and makes a mockery of James Madison’s assurance in Federalist No. 45 that the “powers delegated” to the federal government are ‘few and defined.’”

Also, the text includes that ObamaCare “grossly exceed the powers delegated to the federal government in the United States Constitution.”

Additionally, Beavers’ legislation asserts “the right to be free from the commandeering hand of the federal government”, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Printz v. United States. The court held that, “The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the States’ officers, or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program…”

If passed, this law will take effect immediately. Let’s hope it does along with those its Southern neighbors of Georgia and South Carolina.

Follow us on twitter: @DowntrendCom

http://downtrend.com/james/the-south...ication-train/