Eye On Boise

Otter: ‘A high priority on sovereignty’

Posted by Betsy

March 17, 2010 2:17 p.m. • 4 comments

Gov. Butch Otter is holding his first public signing ceremony for a bill - for HB 391a, the “Idaho Health Care Freedom Act.” The bill prohibits the enforcement of any federal mandate for Idahoans or Idaho businesses to purchase health care, and requires the state Attorney General to go to court to fight any such requirement. “It’s my pleasure to be able to sign this bill today,” Otter said. And despite the state’s budget crunch, he said he’s OK with spending money on the court fight, which the bill estimates may cost $100,000. “I am comfortable with it,” Otter said. “I think to protect the people of Idaho, which is one of our obligations as a government, is the right thing to do.” He added, “I put a real high priority on the sovereignty of the state of Idaho.” Otter said about 30 other states are considering similar measures; when informed that he may be the first state governor to sign one into law, he said, “If I am, I’m glad.”

Otter noted that states are increasingly passing legislation calling for increasing state rights and asserting state sovereignty. “The ivory tower folks will tell you, no, they’re not going to go anywhere,” Otter said, “but I’ll tell you, you get 36 states,” and that makes a critical mass, he said.

Otter’s gathered a slew of legislative sponsors of HB 391a to join him at the signing ceremony. Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle, a congressional candidate, said of health care reform, “We’re going to take care of this problem in the state and not through the federal government.” Added Rep. Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth, “This isn’t where the federal government belongs.”

Four comments on this post so far. Add yours!

marymckercher on March 17 at 2:31 p.m.
If figures Otter says States should take care of this….well if they HAD the Fed’s would never HAVE gotten involved. Otter’s best buddy (Gwartney) is on the BOARD OF DIRECTORS for Blue Cross…..yes he is a ‘disinterested 3rd party). BLECH!
scootermom on March 17 at 2:41 p.m.
Freedom in health care is important. Unless you’re a woman or a senior citizen. Then your health care provider gets to decide what care he, or she, can let you have with good conscience.

Do these people ever pay attention to their own hypocricy?
BRR on March 17 at 6:12 p.m.
Stop the F-35 gathering initiative… no more feds help here. Otter writes off 200,000 uninsured Idahoans as he polishes his cowboy boots.

While Butch spins that 34 other states are going to join this action - a real critical mass, as he says. The most likely states are Utah, Idaho, VIrginia, S. Carolina, N. Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana.

Utah and Idaho have shown their true colors by joining the Confederacy.
State_of_Idiots on March 17 at 9:40 p.m.
This legislative session has been a disaster for the people, the education system, and the towns, cities, & villages of Idaho.

Their attitude is FLAT-OUT: screw ‘em if they want to improve their civic appearance, or regulate feed-lot stench & water use, or have heathcare competition, decent public schools, a funded university system, etc, etc.

…and by the way–we’re hiring more tax enforcers for additional shakedowns to get what Bloomberg termed was the the 49th least “wealth friendly” state in America.

We’re very close to the beginning of the end for ‘modern Idaho’.