Guest column by Jeff Teismann:

When the federal government passed sweeping health care legislation earlier this year, arguably the most egregious usurpation of state’s rights in over a generation, did State Senator Kevin Engler lead his party to stand in stiff opposition to this violation of Missouri’s state sovereignty?

Surely he must have you say, for it is the sworn duty of every state representative to defend the State and U.S. Constitutions. Surely he knows that regulation of health insurance is not one of the enumerated powers of the Federal government, and that the power to regulate it was left to the states. Surely he must know that Missouri (as well all other states) have always maintained that regulation of any form of insurance (health, life, casualty, etc.) was the sole providence of the state.

Surely, you say, as a leader of the Senate, Senator Engler must have been at the forefront of defending Missouri’s state sovereignty.

Sadly, no, Engler failed to show such leadership.

Even when other State Senators and Representatives answered the call and stood to defend our sovereignty with the Health Care Freedom Act, Engler would not stand with them.

But that is not the worst of it. For you see, that same sweeping federal legislation inaccurately named the “Affordable Health Care for America Act” not only violated state sovereignty, it violated our individual freedoms in several ways, not the least of which is to force all citizens to purchase health insurance.

So it is that Kevin Engler also failed to defend the citizens of Missouri of their freedom to make their own health care decisions.

Senator Engler may say that he was supportive of the Health Care Freedom Act, but his support was limited to doing only what was necessary in order to make such a claim. When the decision was made to withdraw the Health Care Freedom Act as a constitutional amendment, and instead submit it as a voter referendum, I questioned him about it.

He asked me if I had read the bill (which I had) and if I really wanted to see such language as part of our state constitution (which I did). It was clear that he didn’t – a position he confirmed when I asked which state senators would join in the procedure to “move the previous question” he mentioned several senators, but not himself.

Not only was he non-supportive, he was downright dismissive. He stated that “you people” (by which I suppose he meant the hundreds of fellow citizens who flooded the state capital whenever the bill was being discussed) would be able to voice our displeasure with a referendum vote. As if our concerns had no substantive basis, but rather only a chance to register our disapproval. The message was that you’ll have a chance to vent your anger, now go away.

In representing the people of Missouri, what is more important for our representative to do than protecting our freedom?

As a representative of the State of Missouri, what is more important than maintaining our state sovereignty against blatant usurpation by the federal government?

Should someone who fails to defend our state sovereignty and our freedoms be given leadership of our State Senate? I say “No”.