Collins Report

By Kevin “Coach” Collins

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

This is the simple but powerful text of the 10th Amendment to our Constitution.

The first impression a reading of Obamacare’s scheme brings to mind are the many blatant violations of the 10th Amendment it contains.

One such violation is the demand that ALL medical service providers and facilities be compelled to include on staff translators able to render “language-appropriate services” in potentially hundred of languages.

Page 91 lines 4 – 7 essentially demands any medical services provider to have translators available to communicate with non English speakers in their own language either by telephone or in person. This is a disaster in waiting.

New York City’s welfare department provides a look at what Obamacare’s “language-appropriate services” means. In 2003 the City agreed to use taxpayers’ money to cover “translation services” for six languages. That’s grown to 21 and New York is being sued for not covering Soninke a Nigerian language. Already NYC just one locality provides 7000 translations yearly!

Civil War in Court

The Census Bureau recognizes 337 languages spoken or signed in America. There are thirty states with “English Only” laws meaning Obamacare violently collides with States’ 10th Amendment rights.

There are several of these states that aren’t likely to roll over and play “dead” for Obama.

It’s doubtful Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming won’t bring 10th Amendment lawsuits against Obama the instant he signs his bill.

This could easily spark a Second Civil War, not fought in the streets with guns but in courthouses across America. There are still enough safe judges to bring these suits before and fight on for years.

Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska have indicated they will fight Obamacare. Tenth Amendment law suits are the obvious means of such resistance. A Second Civil War could get under way in the same deliberate way the first one did and be in full swing before the lap dog media acknowledges it was happening.

If this bill passed with this provision in tact it could also trigger mass internal migrations from states that will be fighting the order to those attempting to provide translators for exotic tongues such as Hmong and Soninke.

The cost of these “language-appropriate services” will be astronomical not only on their face alone, but in the drain on translation providers who are already in short supply for our military’s war on terror. Imagine the problems with vetting translators for positions in military hospitals to service dependent non English speakers.

The apparent “Government option” pull back is just a battle won; we need total victory. These counter suits might buy enough time to convince America Obama a Democrat Congress was a mistake. Now is the time to step up the fight.

Comments on this or any other Collins Report essay can be sent to kcoachc “at” gmail.com