I’ve had a number of discussions about federal overreach (healthcare and the auto industry) of late and have been having some trouble explaining my objections. I’m not sure why I bother when there are so many more eloquent folks out there. Take it away people..
A few brave souls will argue that the “general welfare” clause means that Congress can mandate anything that they see as beneficial, but that misreads the word general – which meant the welfare of the nation as a whole, not a responsibility to make each individual citizen’s life choices for them. The opposite reading would have made Congress a totalitarian monster, with the executive as its hatchetman, and the founders would have scoffed at such an interpretation.
The Constitution exists to limit the power of government and each branch, reserving most of the power to the states or to the people. Claiming that Congress has the power to dictate that we must buy into health insurance by claiming that all that is possible must therefore be mandatory is arguing that Congress has a dictatorial, unlimited power over every aspect of our lives.
Tags: Politics by Karl
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