Buried on page 4A of today’s Globe was an AP story that began:

Missouri is poised to become the first state to put a new federal health insurance mandate to a vote of its residents.

Well, it’s nice to be first.

And it’s nice to know that our state legislators are taking care of important matters:

The Missouri House gave final approval Tuesday to a measure that will appear on the Aug. 3 ballot stating that people and employers cannot be compelled to have health insurance nor penalized for paying for health care out of their own pocketbooks.

Designed by conservatives as an Obama-slap, the legislation is part of a nationwide effort by conservatives and Republicans to keep the health care reform issue alive and well for the November elections.

After all, the GOP can’t afford to waste more than a year’s worth of demagoguery when they are so close to victory.

Next up: Based on what Missouri Republicans told the Joplin Globe‘s editorial board last November, perhaps our emboldened legislators will finally opt out of Medicaid or put it to the voters to decide.

Then, who knows, goodbye Social Security, Medicare, and, voilà ,we will have seceded from the rest of the country.

The only thing standing in the way of this slow motion civil war is the Supreme Court—with 4 1/2 solid conservative votes.

Oh, my.