The Republican House is once again on a collision course with the other half of the legislature and with the executive. The plan is to vote to restrict funds from the new Obama care program sometime next week. Frustrated Dems are again ridiculing the vote as another measure that will go nowhere given the fact that they control the senate. But the Republicans are simply demonstrating their seriousness both about undoing the new health care legislation and about reducing overall spending. This week they released a plan to deeply cut expenditures to a whole slew of government programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts, Amtrak, the IRS, (seriously, who won’t support that?!) and numerous other big government favs.

So even though the move to defund the President’s pet law will probably not go very far it does serve a highly useful purpose. It reminds the American people where their senators and congressmen or women stand on the issue. Despite the promises of the ineffectual Harry Reid, the repeal did in fact make it to the senate floor where members where forced once again to put their names to controversial and unpopular legislation. I hope the electorate was watching. Now the landscape has changed slightly however. With the federal judiciary ruling Obama care unconstitutional it’s almost certain to eventually find its way to the supremes. Congresses vote next week would potentially put the Senate back on the hot seat, particularly if the nation’s highest court eventually up holds the federal court’s ruling and throws out the new law. Any votes against defunding national health insurance would be in effect votes for sustaining unconstitutional government.

Again, it’s imperative that the American people follow the money, and the votes on this thing! I realize many of us are cynical about our nation’s leadership, but that’s all the more reason. Big changes are afoot here and for once we have a group of people in congress doing what they said they were going to do! The American voters are smart people, smarter than they are often given credit for. Just don’t go back to sleep. We have a lot to learn in the next few months and perhaps more to teach.