DENVER– Another front may be opening soon in the battle over health reform in Colorado. Deputy Attorney General Geoffrey Blue told the Colorado Independent Wednesday that Democratic lawmakers were considering ways to strip funding from Attorney General John Suthers’ office to undercut the suit Suthers joined challenging the federal health reform legislation as unconstitutional. Democrats, backed by most U.S. constitutional legal scholars including heavy hitters in Colorado— say the suit has little chance of success and amounts to a partisan waste of state tax money at a time when the state needs every dime.
Speaking among the throng at the Tea Party Express rally at the capitol Wednesday, Blue echoed Suthers’ statement that the federal government was assuming powers that rightly belonged to the state. Blue said he didn’t believe the federal government could force citizens to buy health insurance. He said the government could regulate interstate commerce but not state commerce.
Blue said he didn’t have more details for now on which lawmakers might be behind the legislative effort. He said his sources were telling him Democrats working on the budget “long bill” were angry that Suthers, who is running for reelection, was playing politics from within the A.G.’s office. Blue didn’t know exactly which areas of the office budget Democrats would be targeting.
During the conversation, Tea Party activists interrupted to thank Blue for filing the lawsuit. He said he had been an active participant in filing the suit and he thanked people for their support. He lauded the Tea Partiers for exercising their first amendment right to effect political change.
Comments are closed.