Ruestman: Congress has no authority to pass health care law

In her latest column, Rep. Marilyn Ruestman rips into the out-of-control federal government and explains what she plans to do about it during Missouri's next legislative session:

Last Saturday the United States Senate made an historic vote to debate the Senate’s version of healthcare reform. What is striking about such a vote is that Congress has no constitutional authority to pass such a law.

The federal government has very limited and specific powers granted to it by the Constitution. All powers not listed in the Constitution belong to the states or the people. Healthcare is not listed among those powers. In all truth, many programs of the federal government do not lie under its authority including (but not limited to) education, labor, energy, parks, housing and agriculture.

Since World War I, Washington has been led by a progressive movement that would have appalled the Founding Fathers. They created our federal system out of necessity and feared an overly powerful central government. Each of them considered themselves citizens of their respective states first. One of the primary goals during the drafting of the Constitution was to protect states’ rights. They would not recognize the United States today.

In the coming legislative session, I plan to offer a House Concurrent Resolution which I hope to pass through the House and Senate. This resolution will send a strong message to Washington that we retain those rights reserved for the states in the 10th Amendment! It will demand that the federal government cease and desist mandates that are beyond the scope of its constitutionally delegated powers.

Several other states have already passed such resolutions and I believe it is time Missouri join their ranks to send a message to Washington.