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Arizona Governor Jan Brewer announced last night that Arizona will be joining 14 other states in a lawsuit against the federal government over the federal healthcare mandate passed by Congress last month.
Brewer’s general counsel, Joseph Kanefield, will represent Arizona in the lawsuit, and the governor claims that after all is said and done, the litigation will only cost Arizona about $5,000.
That’s only slightly more than it costs the average person to fight a DUI in court so we’ll have to see about that one.
Brewer claims that Obamacare oversteps the federal government’s authority because it forces people to buy health insurance.
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“By passing this onerous federal mandate, Congress has exceeded its authority and left the State of Arizona no option but to challenge its unconstitutional act in federal court,” Brewer says in a statement. “Health care regulation is a power reserved to the States by the 10th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Congress has overreached by requiring individuals to purchase health insurance and penalizing them if they do not.”
Last week, the Arizona legislature passed a bill that gives Brewer the authority to go over the head of Attorney General Terry Goddard to file the lawsuit.
Goddard, who’s announced his candidacy for governor and could potentially be squaring off with Brewer in the general election, refused to file the lawsuit himself because he thought it was un-winnable.
Other states filing suit include South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Louisiana, Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, and South Dakota.
