High court delivers blow to Florida Republican leaders
by John Kennedy | June 28th, 2012The U.S. Supreme Court upheld key provisions of the 2010 federal health care overhaul Thursday, dealing a major defeat to Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Republican leaders, who have been clamoring for justices to kill the law.
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater initially issued a statement praising the high court for striking down the law’s central provision – that citizens must obtain health insurance. But Atwater quickly recalled his email when it became clear the court upheld the mandate.
Scott is expected to respond to the ruling close to noon. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who also spearheaded Florida’s role in challenging the 2010 federal law and attended March arguments in the case, also plans to speak then.
Scott, Bondi and other members of the Florida Cabinet were meeting as the state’s Clemency Board when the ruling came down Thursday.
Florida Republican leaders, however, are likely to hail the court’s decision that states cannot lose all Medicaid funding if they fail to embrace the law’s sweeping expansion of the program serving the poor, elderly and disabled.
Scott and leaders in the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature have clamored for Congress to grant the state’s Medicaid block grants, a call that is expected to be revived with Thursday’s ruling. Scott has already urged Congress to repeal the 2010 law, a push that is certain to play a pivotal role in this fall’s presidential race.
Block grants would allow states to design their own health programs for low-income, elderly and disabled residents, that fit within their own budgets.
Critics, however, see block grants as merely a tactic by states seeking to cut benefits.
June 28th, 2012 at 11:19 am
Regardless of people’s political party or opinion on this law, at least the supreme court isn’t a bunch of partisan hacks. They voted on the question and passed the law. The court did what their supposed to do, although party lines were clear, a few “republican appointed and leaning judges” voted how they saw it. WOW!!!!
June 28th, 2012 at 11:36 am
We should hold these truths to be self-evident.
Health care should be a fundamental unalienable Right for all citizens.
The health of a nation should not be a commodity to be bought or sold.
Without health there can be no Life.
Without health there can be no Liberty.
Without health there can be no pursuit of happiness.
“When it shall be said in any country in the world my poor are happy; neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them; my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars; the aged are not in want; the taxes are not oppressive; the rational world is my friend, because I am a friend of its happiness: When these things can be said, there may that country boast its Constitution and its Government”
― Thomas Paine, Rights Of Man
Corporations are not people.
Money is not free speech.
June 28th, 2012 at 11:38 am
Eunuch Scott, Barbie Bondi, and Fraternity Boy Atwater can claim victory over the poorest residents of the State. We beat those bastards out of their health insurance! Atwater’s lawyers never learned how to read SCt. syllabi. If you are his Liberty University-trained, bottom of the class counsel, you probaly never read one in lawskool
June 28th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
This shows how stupid and crooked Atwater is.
June 28th, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Thank YOU Voxpopuli!
Great post and please keep your comments coming. I look forward in reading your posts.
June 28th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Bondi’s career = DONEZO.
June 28th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
The right wing Fla. Repub leaders took a blow for the cipper. Good for them. Next, it’s time to get Scott out of Tallahassee
June 28th, 2012 at 3:46 pm
SUCCESS:
Ineptocracy
(in-ep-toc’-ra-cy) – a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers. Syn – socialism.
June 28th, 2012 at 4:09 pm
The TEABAGGER/REPUB-party keeps proving over and over again, ‘our’ form of government is inept, “least capable”? Call it the Michael Brown effect, hire the past president of the Arabian horse club for FEMA, look what happens…Elect/nominate someone whom stole $1.6 billion MEDICARE funds(we know of, govt CPA’s poorest paid) and wonder why there are state financial problems? The self-fullfilling prophecy is uncanty. The worst financial disasters in US history have all come under TEABAGGER/REPUB party rule. The three previous REPUB-presidents and Herb Hoover policy(s) lead to the great depression, TV actor, bonzo series star Ronnie Reagan-BLACK MONDAY-3rd worst stock day, junk bond scandal-IRAN-CONTRA affair, and lil’George whom squandered a surplus into the GREAT RECESSION-2nd worst stock market day? Hiring TEABAGGERS/REPUBS, ignoring obvious history of their incompetance, and wonder why the country is 17th in math&science, and middle class wages have gone down…
July 9th, 2012 at 9:49 pm
The supreme court of idiots did not vote against Republicans. They voted against all Americans and for socialized medicine. I cannot wait to hear the liberals cry when the US medical system has been reduced to that of Great Britain.
Think I will try to stay healthy.