In Oklahoma you can never over estimate a local lawmakers complete ignorance when it comes to understanding the law. Case in point, the other day The Oklahoman's Michael McNutt reported about a conservative rally at the state capitol during which the faithful were yelling things like, "No Obama!" Apparently the news hasn't arrived down at N.E. 23rd and Lincoln Blvd that Barak Obama won re-election and is the president of these United States for the next four years.
But I digress, most of the hub bub was a pro gun, anti Affordable Care Act pep rally that featured NRA hacks, over sized evangelical Christian ministers and firebrand politicos who claim their legislation will stop the red menace of Obamacare no matter what a dememted Supreme Court says.
The specific law in question is House Bill 1021. It recently passed the house by a vote of 72-20. Today McNutt reports that democratic legislators, a dying breed in this state, are calling the bill nothing but a political statement, meaningless, and a waste of time. According to its author, Mike Ritze, R--Broken Arrow, "it will protect Oklahomans against an unconstitutional federal overreach in power and control over their daily lives." McNutt quotes Ritze as saying, "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care act is an example of federal overreach and my legislation will authorize the state via the will of the people to ignore it and ban enforcement of it."
Uh, right. Dan Fisher, another republican constitutional scholar, had sponsored a similar bill, although his would have chucked people into jail for trying to implement Affordable Care. His legislation gained initial committee approval, but ultimately was so embarrassingly illiterate and insane that a second republican controlled committee refused to let it go to the floor for a vote of the full house.
At the rally McNutt pointed out to Ritze how the Supreme Court had ruled on the case and declared Affordable Care constitutional and the law of the land. The representative began to babble about how the Supreme Court had been wrong before. Quite honestly, there might be drug abuse involved here. How much clearer can people make it to this crank? I mean this isn't like trying to program a new iPhone. The rule is simple. If the Supremes say it is the law, then it is the law. Mike Ritze's legislation cannot, under any circumstances, over rule them, no matter how wrong he might think they are.
Anyway the Ritze law passed and if it passes the senate and the governor is stupid enough to sign it, it will become an Oklahoma law for all of about ten minutes. Then someone will drag the state into federal court and about fifteen minutes after that it won't be worth the paper it was written on. Phrases like "meaningless and a waste of time" would not only seem to apply, but tend to be a bit understated.
Of course Ritze might come by his delusions honestly. Kasie Hunt of NBC News reports that the Conservative Political Action Conference passed on asking Governor Chris Christie to speak to the group, because, "The GOP is not a home for everyone."
Obviously. And therein lies the reason Mitt Romney isn't the president of the United States.
Passing on the most popular republican in the nation might seem a tad silly to most people who prize reality in their lives. However, Hunt quotes American Conservative Union chairman, Al Cardenas as saying, "This year for better or worse we felt like he didn't deserve to be on the All-Star selection for the decisions he made." Cardenas went onto say, "He's popular, but everyone needs to live by the parameters of the movement.
CPAC's All-Star selection includes such proven winners as Donald Trump, Dick Morris, and Newt Gingrich.
Someone needs to explain the word nihilistic to Brother Cardenas.
Or not.
By the way, that sound you hear is Hillary Clinton sharpening her knives.
3-14-13
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