TX Atty Gen on the Commerce Clause - First Mandatory Healthcare, Next Mandatory Green-Car Buy-Out Bailouts

Sometime after midnight, following the socialist-democratic vote of HR 3590  meant to shackle America to the greatest piece of socialist legislation in modern-day history, Texas Attorney Greg Abbott's office posted this news release stating Texas' intention to join forces with other Attorney Generals across the nation:

The federal health care legislation passed tonight violates the United States Constitution and unconstitutionally infringes upon Texans' individual liberties. To protect all Texans' constitutional rights, preserve the constitutional framework intended by our nation's founders, and defend our state from further infringement by the federal government, the State of Texas and other states will legally challenge the federal health care legislation.

This followed an early-evening Facebook posting alerting socialist healthcare opponents of an Attorney Generals conference call that would later result in an post-HR 3590 vote, late-night agreement "that a multi-state lawsuit would send the strongest signal." Continued Abbott:

We plan to file the moment Obama signs the bill. I anticipate him signing it tomorrow. Check back for an update at that time. I will post a link to the lawsuit when it is filed. It will lay out why the bill is unconstitutional and tramples individual and states rights."

This morning, on Austin's 590KLBJ-AM Morning Show with Mark Caesar, Ed Clements & Sgt. Sam Cox, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott went into greater detail about how allowing socialized healthcare to move forward unimpeded would impact Americans on a personal level far beyond the simple federal mandate to buy insurance:

This bill is not only taking us down the wrong path, it is unconstitutional...  it would be historic because of the historic way that it expands and abuses theUnited States Constitution...

In order for Congress to pass a law, they must have authority vested in the Constitution. The authority they claim that they have to pass this law is the Commerce Clause.

The Commerce Clause has never, ever been used to force Americans to buy a good or service. That's what's being done here.

If Congress can make Americans buy healthcare insurance, they can make you buy anything.

In order to rescue General Motors, they can make you go out and buy a General Motors electric vehicle.

They can do anything they want.

There would be no limit to what Congress can do under the Constitution if this is upheld as a valid law.

[Bolds and italics are mine for emphasis and clarity.]

Abbott's succinct illustration is joined by the opinions of other Attorney Generals across the nation, many of whom have been considering the constitutionality of healthcare since it passed the Senate in the dead of night on Christmas Eve, 2009.