America
Bobby Jindal wants to get rid of US Supreme Court
By
By Arun Kumar Washington, June 27
Finding himself at odds
with the US Supreme Court over its two landmark judgements upholding
healthcare law and same-sex marriage, Louisiana's Indian-American
governor Bobby Jindal wants to get rid of the court.
"Thursday,
the Supreme Court had its say on Obamacare; soon, the American people
will have theirs," wrote the newly minted aspirant for Republican
nomination for President in an opinion piece in Time magazine.
The
Court's decision upholding subsidies for states participating in the
federally run insurance exchange, he wrote, "violates the plain text of
Obamacare," as President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law
Affordable Care Act is nicknamed.
"It's a sad outcome for the
rule of law - and the English language," said Jindal who like other
Republican governors has refused to set up a marketplace or exchange
where people can shop for affordable health insurance.
But an
estimated 138,000 residents of Louisiana are getting federal subsidies
through the federal exchange that is open to those who don't have access
to state exchanges.
"Contrary to this President's
self-proclaimed edicts, yesterday's Supreme Court decision is not the
end of the debate on Obamacare," said Jindal.
It merely "shifts
back to the elected branches of government - the ones that caused our
health care mess in the first place," he said. "It is there that
conservatives can complete our work to repeal Obamacare."
Jindal's reaction to the apex court's ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide was even more sharp.
"The
Supreme Court is completely out of control, making laws on their own,
and has become a public opinion poll instead of a judicial body," he
said in a statement from Iowa, which holds the first presidential
caucus.
"If we want to save some money, let's just get rid of the court," Jindal added.
Jindal later said that the ruling fundamentally redefined the institution of marriage.
"Marriage between a man and a woman was established by God, and no earthly court can alter that," he added.
He
also argued that protecting same-sex marriage would open the door to
discrimination against people of faith who oppose its practice.
Despite
the Supreme Court judgment, the Jindal administration has said
Louisiana's state government won't recognize gay marriage for now.
But
Mike Reed, Jindal's spokesman in the governor's office, acknowledged
"Our agencies will have no choice but to comply with the Supreme Court's
decision" eventually, he told NOLA.com
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])