Radnofsky Nails Abbott for Mounting Legal Loser Challenge

by: Libby Shaw

Mon Jan 04, 2010 at 02:34 PM CST

The Texas Attorney General is wrong on the law of his challenge of the senate version of the health care bill. He is wasting taxpayer resources on a loser challenge.

Attorney General Abbott challenges the constitutionality of a law that does not exist, promising to use the office of the Texas Attorney General to "explore all legal options" to dismantle federal legislation. Ironically, Texas would receive subsidies and benefits of greater magnitude than most of the nation, in the $7.5 to 10 billion range.

There they go again. Not only are Republicans willing to burn precious taxpayer resources on a frivolous lawsuit that has no legal basis, but they are also hell bent on thumbing their noses at extraordinary financial subsidies and benefits for Texans.  Texas, as we well know, has the highest number of uninsured.  Folks don't have health care insurance because they can't afford it or they have pre-existing conditions that no insurance company will cover.  The federal health care reform bill would make health insurance more affordable and it would prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.  It would also put a stop to insurance companies that cut patients loose when their health care needs become too costly.  

These benefits and consumer protections are what Abbott wants to kill. Abbott, like all Texas Republicans is more concerned about the interests of insurance companies than he is the people of Texas.  It should also be noted that the Party that rails 24/7/365 against trial lawyers and frivilous lawsuits has no problem with either when Republican lawmakers are the ones doing the suing.  

If the Texas Attorney General had standing, he should have fought against unfair distribution of our federal highway tax dollars. Texas has been and remains a net donor to the other states.  (Example: The 2005 $286.4 billion transportation bill, containing the bridge to nowhere, guaranteed Alaskans received about $1500 per capita in highway benefits, while Texans received a meager $36 per capita. Texas was a net donor to the rest of the country that year of 8.7 cents of every dollar.)

Radnofsky fairly lambasted Abbott for his failure to challenge the real wrongdoings against the people of Texas.

If the Texas Attorney General wanted to challenge wrongdoing against the people of Texas, he should have challenged the failure of state officials to meet their obligations to Texas citizens under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The State of Texas has sent hundreds of millions of federal tax money paid by Texans to other states because Texas officials wrongly created barriers to full enrollment in CHIP (6 month reenrollment requirements for example). The Texas Attorney General has turned his back on the people of Texas suffering from the highest percentage of health uninsured in the country, with sky-high rates.

It should be glaringly obvious to all Texans that Greg Abbott, Rick Perry and other Republican lawmakers have no intention of fighting for the needs and interests of the people of Texas.   Rick Perry, as we know, would not accept extended federal unemployment benefits for jobless Texans.   Rick Perry is more concerned about the bottom line of businesses than he is with the financial devastation of Texas families.

Some Republicans such as Gov. Rick Perry of Texas have criticized the program, saying expanding benefits would force their states to raise taxes on employers once the stimulus money runs out.

Dude, you took an oath to serve the people, not business. I mean, folks, with representation like this, who needs heartless banana republic type dictators?

Come on Texas.  Let's bring on Barbara Ann Radnofsky and Bill White.  It is well past the time for Democrats to get us out of the Republican hand basket headed straight toward a hell called third world status.