About 60 conservative activists rallied in Vancouver Tuesday afternoon in support of Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, who has joined a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the health reform bill signed earlier in the day by President Barack Obama.
They gathered across the street from the Vancouver office of U.S. Rep. Brian Baird to sign a letter to McKenna vowing to “stand and fight against the tyranny of the oligarchy of corruption that violates the U.S. and State Constitution and the will of the people.”
“The blatant disregard we have seen to the people and the rule of law is akin to what our founders faced,” the letter declared.
Signatures are being gathered at similar rallies around the state and will be delivered to McKenna on the steps of the state Capitol Saturday morning.
McKenna, a Republican, announced Monday morning that he would join a lawsuit brought by attorneys general in at least a dozen states who will argue that requiring people to buy health insurance is an illegal intrusion by the federal government into Americans’ lives.
Gov. Chris Gregoire and Democratic Senate and House leaders oppose Washington’s involvement in the lawsuit. Gregoire, a former state attorney general, declared Monday that McKenna “doesn’t represent me.”
The hastily called Vancouver rally was organized by the grass-roots group We The People of Vancouver, which invokes the U.S. Constitution to argue against health care reform.
Tom Niewulis, dressed as the colonial leader Samuel Adams, said it was “an opportunity to call this bill what it is: illegal.”
“Telling you as an individual that you have to purchase insurance” is unconstitutional, Niewulis claimed. “Nowhere can a government force you to contract, either independently or with a government agency.”
Participants raised handmade signs declaring “Disrespecting Our Constitution is Treason” and “Freedom From Tax Tyranny.”
Linda Wilson of east Clark County called the health care bill “an overreaction” that “has nothing to do with health care” but is instead about government abuse of power.
“Government will be making all the decisions and the IRS will implement it,” predicted Lynn Costello of Vancouver. “It will add to the deficit and it won’t be any more sustainable than Medicare and Social Security.”
Karen Osborne of Camas declared that those federal programs too are unconstitutional.
“The federal government is not supposed to be involved in who gets health care and who doesn’t,” she said.
