Texas May Refuse ObamaCare -- If It Passes

In the event ObamaCare becomes federal law, the State of Texas may not go along with the plan.

Perry spoke out against President Barack Obama’s healthcare package less than 24 hours after the president used a prime-time news conference Wednesday night to try to sell the massive legislative package to Congress and the public.

"It really is a state issue, and if there was ever an argument for the 10th Amendment and for letting the states find a solution to their problems, this may be at the top of the class," Perry said. "A government-run healthcare system is financially unstable. It’s not the solution."

Faced with up to $4 billion in new costs to cover a lot of uninsured folks, Gov. Rick Perry says he's thinking of invoking the 10th Amendment to the Constitution which holds that any power not specifically allocated to the federal government remains with the individual states, or the People.

Many people do not realize that the ObamaCare proposal plans to shift billions of dollars in the cost to the individual states by redefining who is eligible for Medicare, the joint federal-state program. This is one of the unsung ways that President Obama says he is going to "pay for" his expensive plan, by forcing individual states to pay more money.

That very likely will necessitate higher state taxes for individuals, most of whom will make far less than $250,000 a year. But it would give the president the ability to say that he wasn't the one responsible.

Texas might be the first to invoke the 10th Amendment in such a case, but I doubt it would be the last.