- Joined
- Jun 8, 2006
- Messages
- 2,925
Well- if you take the view that the only thing the Government is allowed to do is exactly what is enumerated in the constitution then clearly it doesn't say those things. But doesn't the Preamble to the Constitution - which explains the rationale for the Governments existence- pretty well lay out the responsibilities of government? and then I believe that the Necessary and Proper clause -Article 1 - gives Congress the authority to enact laws not expressly forbidden or reserved to the States - a question which was settled before Andrew Jackson was the President. You guys are about 200 years too late in arguing the powers of Congress. Now you can argue (pretty convincingly IMO) that many if not most of the creations of Congress are the least efficient means to affect those purposes.
We are not too late. It's just that for too damned long the powers of Congress have been allowed to be expanded by Congress to the rediculous levels that exist today. Just because they did it doesn't mean that what they did is right or that it shouldn't be overturned.
As for the "general welfare", that's a red herring. To begin, that very phrase was hotly debated when the Constitution was being ratified because, as you just did, it could be used to mean ANYTHING. Hey! it's in the general welfare for everyone to make $250K a year! Congress, make it so! NOT!
Finally, while Article 1 says what you say it says, Amendment 10 specifically says that unless the Constitution grants them the authority, Congress can't do a damned thing.