Lawsuit could take toll on taxpayers’ already snug budgets
In response to Andrew Garber’s “Suit puts spotlight on AG’s politics” [page one, April 1], Washington state residents should be aware of the potential consequences of state Attorney General Rob McKenna’s constitutional challenge.
According to McKenna, Florida AG Bill McCollum will take the lead in trying to negate the recent health-care bill. Washington state’s involvement will be limited to participating in “conference calls” and the “review of briefs,” implying there will be no cost to Washington state residents.
As it now stands, this may not be the case.
As reported by University of Washington law professor Stewart Jay at the Mar. 30 health-care panel held at the campus, McCollum intends to hire outside counsel to represent the various states challenging the validity of the health-care bill. He plans on hiring the law firm he worked for prior to becoming attorney general.
Most law firms do not work for free when representing state interests. As such, when the lawsuit runs its course, various states that entered the lawsuit will eventually have to “pay the fiddler.”
Knowing that thousands and potentially millions of dollars may be spent on the lawsuit, what contribution does McKenna expect the citizens of Washington to pony up? He may be, as he professes, a “very good lawyer,” but I believe he is far from a truthful lawyer. What will taxpayers be paying toward this frivolous lawsuit?
— LeRoy Loiselle, Seattle
Gregoire’s response misses the point
Gov. Chris Gregoire has received numerous letters opposing her negative, hyperpartisan characterization of Washington state AG Rob McKenna’s lawsuit against the federal government over health-care reform.
The governor’s response to her critics simply repeats the mantra from Washington, D.C., and the Democrats who voted for this massive reform. She misses the point people are trying to get across: Specifically, there is broad agreement regarding the need for reform to supply affordable health care for those who are not covered or are under-covered.
However, the solution passed by Congress and signed by President Obama is akin to throwing a life preserver to the drowning and at the same time, mistakenly throwing an anchor to those who are patiently treading water in today’s fragile economy.
Let’s call this reform for what it really is —a European-style, big-government redistribution of wealth, which is a proven formula to steal the liberties of the people by creating an all-knowing nanny state.
— Steven Cheesebrew, Renton