Senate health care resolution more hot air about nothing

The rerun of the 2010 legislative session continued in the Missouri Senate Tuesday as the Rules Committee voted 5-2  to approve a resolution sponsored by Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, that would encourage Attorney General Chris Koster to join in the federal health care lawsuit filed by 20 attorneys general, start one of his own, or join Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder's lawsuit.

Of course, this resolution like the series of resolutions offered last year means nothing, it is non-binding, and merely serves to distract the Senate, as do similar such resolutions in the House, from the real business at hand.

This is like reading about a city council in California that passes a resolution condemning human rights violations in China. It may make the members feel good, but it doesn't get the streets paved.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch story:

In her testimony to the committee the resolution's sponsor, Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, said that the attorney general's participation in the lawsuit would send an important message to the federal government.

"The citizens of this state want to make their own health care decisions," she said. "They have spoken overwhelmingly."

But the resolution was met with resistance by dozens of members of the public, who attended the meeting to oppose the resolution.

Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, echoed their discontent with the measure. She took special exception to Cunningham's assertion that it would not cost the state any money to sign on to the lawsuit.

"I'm going to have to do some of my own checking, because I find it absolutely unfathomable that Missouri could get involved in a federal lawsuit and it wouldn't cost us a penny," Justus said. "That just doesn't make any sense."

Not does wasting the taxpayers' money on non-binding resolutions.