Station:    1400 AM, KFTM

Show:      Conservative Project

Guest:      Gardner

Link:        http://blog.conservativeproject.com/

Date:        June 28, 2012

Topics:     SCOTUS, Supreme Court Ruling on ACA, Obamacare, Health Benefit Exchanges, Federal Regulations

Click Here for Audio

 

[The following are notes taken from the audio interview]

Host Commentary:

• SCOTUS ruling:  Truly unlimited government – fundamentally transforms America
• Government relationship with individuals and future of individual liberties
• To be discussed:
  • Specifics of the ruling and how the 5-4 vote played out
  • Political fallout
• Stocks tumbled after ruling on Obamacare was announced

 

Guest:   Cory Gardner 4^th congressional district of CO

•  (initial reaction)  This is a healthcare bill that is unpopular with the American Public.  We know that it’s going to hurt the ability of small businesses to hire new people, to grow and expand.  So, I’m certainly disappointed that the Supreme Court has now granted Congress the ability to place taxes on its citizens, simply because they did not spend money the way Congress wants them to.
• (if defined is a tax, what is the limiting principle – is government limited at all?)  I don’t see how at this point that the government is limited in taxing people for not doing something.  If  you look the decision, the government could decide that it wants to place a tax on people if they don’t buy a GM car.  Because they believe it’s necessary for the economy or because they own part of GM now.  And so they could tax you if you don’t paint your house the right color, or if you don’t lose weight, as the government wants you to.  Or if you decide you just do0n’t wqant to buy something bc you just don’t have the money, you could be taxed
• (effect on rural America and lower income folks)  I think that for people in rural America, it’s just another blow to our freedom, another blow to their check book. And it is confirmation, though, I mean, One thing about it, President Obama promised that he wouldn’t increase taxes on the middle class and today the US Supreme Court confirmed that he did indeed increase taxes on the middle tax
• (how many times did he say it wasn’t a tax?)  Video all over the place, if you look it up on the internet, you can find where it wasn’t a tax and now the Supreme Court confirming that is was, or  it is a tax.  But the bottom line is, we still must replace this bill with a policy that actually works to decrease the cost of care and increase the quality of care.  While the Supreme Court spoke today, the people of Colorado will speak on Nov 6^th, the people of this country will speak on November 6^th and I believe they will do so in a way that recognizes that they know better how to take care of themselves than government.
• (SCOTUS ruling speaks to one aspect of what is wrong with this government right now)  It really does present a very clear contrast:  the ideas of a government that believes it knows better, that its bureaucrats know better than individuals when it comes to their healthcare decisions, that increasing taxes and increasing deficit spending is the direction that the government needs to go, versus an idea that we actually need limited government, that we need to increase the quality of care and decrease the cost of care using by providing market based decisions, and reducing regulations and malpractice reform, those kinds of ideas.  So it does set up a clear contrast, And those people who were engaged back in 2010 because people were arguing for the healthcare bill, well they just got re-activated and re-energized,
• (hope so, hope that that really does spur tea party movement, conservatives in general.. this conversation brought people into the fray – people who previously didn’t pay attention)  Well, we need it.  We need everybody to stand up and say – as the Fourth of July approaches, this is about individual liberty and freedom.    This is about a responsible government.  Under the healthcare bill, the president’s healthcare bill, taxes increase by billions of dollars, deficit spending increases by billions of dollars, Medicare is cut by billions of dollars.  There are better ways to do things, and that’s what we’re working on next.
• (what’s next step for Rs in US House)  We’ll be voting on July 11^th to once again repeal the healthcare bill.  Just because the Supreme court has said it is constitutional does not make it good policy, So we’ll be voting to repeal the bill and to put in place those ideas that actually work to reduce the cost of healthcare.
• (a lot on the agenda for House…. Eric Holder contempt vote…plenty to talk about and tackle between now and Nov.  So much needs to be done today to reel back the size and scope of government.)  They can, absolutely.  Get involved, make sure you’re registered to vote this fall.  Make sure people take the opportunity to know where candidates stand, and to know where the issues are and who’s going to stand for what, and make sure that the person that they send into office votes on the side of liberty, and votes on the side of the constitution. We need people to rise up now and make sure that their voices are heard.
• (this district is great –prize individual liberty unlike other towns in CO and places in the country.  You have to be involved to protect individual liberties.)  You know there’s an old saying out there that the world is run by those who show up.    And there’s a lot of truth to that.  That’s why we need everyone to show up.  Because when they’re quiet, the world gets run by those who do show up.
• (what presidential election means to Supreme Court appointments)  That’s right.  We saw a Supreme Court justice appointed by Pres Bush make the decision. So that was a 5-4 decision.  There’s 9 members of the Court.  If Pres. Obama is allowed to appoint more, that decision could have been 6-3, we don’t know.  But the power of the court, again, to label something as constitutional, doesn’t make it good policy.  And that’s the key to remember.
• (Obamacare ruling upheld by Bush appointee Roberts – ironic) This may be one of the few things that he doesn’t blame Pres. Bush on
• (Good luck, keep up the good work) Absolutely, we’ll continue our work.