Posted by
Mike on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 12:36:10 PM
http://westernperspective.blogspot.com/
The Tenth Amendment reserves to the states or to the people all
rights not specifically enumerated. The Constitution gives Congress the
express power of the purse. This means that only Congress has authority
to decide how tax revenues are spent.
Whether or not required by
the Tenth Amendment, prudence following the principle of subsidiarity
would dictate that state and local governments should be in charge of
health care. The primary responsibility rests with the individual and
families. Government has an obligation to assist only where necessary.
Will
liberals in Congress derail health care over abortion? Probably not.
Sixty votes are only needed in the Senate to overcome a procedural
obstacle, not to pass the legislation with or without inclusion of the
Stupak amendment or similar pro-life language.
Will the Stupak
amendment come back to haunt Senators and Representatives in the years
ahead? We can expect a shift in the balance of power after 2010 and
possibly a new administration in 2012. This is before health care
reform gets off the ground. There is plenty of time to add explicit
pro-life language at a later date. The Stupak amendment is at least a
noble beginning.