“General Welfare” and “Climate Change”
Posted by freedomforall 7 months, 1 week ago to Government
Excerpt:
"Why do we have unlimited government? Probably because the document that was supposed to limit it has done the opposite.
People were told the federal government could do no more than was specified – as in clearly described – by the Constitution, which supposedly enumerated its powers and left those not specifically enumerated to the states and the people (via the 10th Amendment to the Constitution).
So why does the federal government have power over essentially everything? Including over such things as how much gas the vehicles we’re allowed to buy may use? The answer is because the Constitution endowed the federal government with unlimited powers, without enumerating them.
But how did it do that?
Via the wording of the Constitution. Including words with open-ended definitions designed to be amendable to parsing in such a way as to countenance any power those in power (or grasping after it) wished to assert.
Wording such as “general welfare” – and “necessary and proper.” By incorporating such words – which can mean almost anything as they are matters of opinion – the lawyers who wrote the Constitution assured the federal government would assume unlimited power. "
--------------------------------------------
Don't miss the comments on this article.
They warm the hearts of Gulch dwellers.
"Why do we have unlimited government? Probably because the document that was supposed to limit it has done the opposite.
People were told the federal government could do no more than was specified – as in clearly described – by the Constitution, which supposedly enumerated its powers and left those not specifically enumerated to the states and the people (via the 10th Amendment to the Constitution).
So why does the federal government have power over essentially everything? Including over such things as how much gas the vehicles we’re allowed to buy may use? The answer is because the Constitution endowed the federal government with unlimited powers, without enumerating them.
But how did it do that?
Via the wording of the Constitution. Including words with open-ended definitions designed to be amendable to parsing in such a way as to countenance any power those in power (or grasping after it) wished to assert.
Wording such as “general welfare” – and “necessary and proper.” By incorporating such words – which can mean almost anything as they are matters of opinion – the lawyers who wrote the Constitution assured the federal government would assume unlimited power. "
--------------------------------------------
Don't miss the comments on this article.
They warm the hearts of Gulch dwellers.
These were brilliant and courageous political philosophers. They were avid students and advocates of John Locke and Aristotle, but the philosophical ideas of the Enlightenment were also influenced by Rousseau, Descartes, and Plato. In essence, it was the Christian moral code of altruism that was still in play, and I think accounts for the flaws of the General Welfare clauses.
Hamilton was described by other founders as a monarchist and wanted a powerful central government headed by a president with king-like powers.
https://compassjournal.org/https-alex...
Since Hamilton is so revered by the State propagandists, I'm sure you can find
20 or more articles online that disagree with this opinion. ;^)
What these fools never do is offer up a detailed re-write of the Constitution instructing We the People on how the Document ought to be changed to conform with their mental image of what Limited Government should be.
There are provisions for a Constitutional Convention of the States. Maybe the author could submit a list intended to right the wrongs and submit them to a candid world?
A little project in fantasy writing-
The conspiracy has come to light, this is the (un)true story: when I was in electronics a group of us decided to spend a few days extra checking out cheaper components. Yes, extra design costs, but we convinced managers that the cost of the built product was lower, and above all, it would wear out much faster!
The idea spread. Industry became dedicated to producing poorer designs that would increase sales.
All was going well until, a less well educated competitor (Japan) came into the marketplace.
If the Federalists had had their way there would be no Bill of Rights at all, and we would most certainly be unarmed and defenseless.
The Anti-Federalist Papers are an amazing compendium of the arguments of those who wanted to limit government and thereby ensure individual liberty.
Free read or download:
https://archive.org/details/TheAntiFe...
The truth is that creating a new form of government is incredibly difficult, not possible for one man alone, and given human nature, damn near impossible for like-minded men working collectively.
Federalist 51 nailed the problem perfectly: “…But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself…”
That our Government no longer is obliged "to control itself" is hardly the fault of the framers of the Constitution.
expand government power, and it was used intentionally for that purpose.
The fact that the Federalists were so opposed to the Bill of Rights is damning evidence of their intent, imo.
(But we don't have to agree. ;^)