Article I
Section 8
1: The Congress shall have Power To lay and
collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and
provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United
States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform
throughout the United States;
The 16th amendment modified this clause, allowing taxation to be dis-proportioned. Again, the Congress has stepped beyond it's bounds by allowing the IRS to be it's tax collector. The intent wasn't to have another government agency to go collect taxes. The government of the United States wasn't supposed to have a tax code that was thousands of pages long.
2: To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
Wow have they taken liberty with that one.
Wow have they taken liberty with that one.
3: To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the
several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
4: To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and
uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United
States;
5: To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign
Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
Can you say "Federal Reserve?" For those who don't know, the Federal Reserve is a NON government agency, that is OWNED by various BANKS and FOREIGN governments (via investing in it and lending to it) prints our money and destro...er determines it's value.
Can you say "Federal Reserve?" For those who don't know, the Federal Reserve is a NON government agency, that is OWNED by various BANKS and FOREIGN governments (via investing in it and lending to it) prints our money and destro...er determines it's value.
6: To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the
Securities and current Coin of the United States;
7: To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
Note that it doesn't say "to deliver the postage." The government wasn't supposed to be involved with business. Here the intent was to use the resources of the government to expand and protect the citizens rights to to communicate with each other. It also greatly improves your ability do defend the country if you can communicate freely and easily. So they are supposed to make roads for whomever it is that does deliver the mail, and establish the offices from which the mail can be sent, ensuring that a monopoly on such a valuable commodity WOULDN'T occur with private business. But instead they decided to just go and monopolize the mail system any way, and lose money on it every year.
Note that it doesn't say "to deliver the postage." The government wasn't supposed to be involved with business. Here the intent was to use the resources of the government to expand and protect the citizens rights to to communicate with each other. It also greatly improves your ability do defend the country if you can communicate freely and easily. So they are supposed to make roads for whomever it is that does deliver the mail, and establish the offices from which the mail can be sent, ensuring that a monopoly on such a valuable commodity WOULDN'T occur with private business. But instead they decided to just go and monopolize the mail system any way, and lose money on it every year.
8: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by
securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive
Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
9: To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
10: To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on
the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
11: To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and
make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
Where do I start? The President has been making war on his own since Bush #1, arguably earlier. The Congress has also handed the President the power to do as he pleases with "enemy combatants" in at least three bills I know of, the last of which was the "Defense Appropriations" bill from last year.
Where do I start? The President has been making war on his own since Bush #1, arguably earlier. The Congress has also handed the President the power to do as he pleases with "enemy combatants" in at least three bills I know of, the last of which was the "Defense Appropriations" bill from last year.
12: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of
Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
13: To provide and maintain a Navy;
14: To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the
land and naval Forces;
15: To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the
Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
16: To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the
Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed
in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States
respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority
of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by
Congress;
No, we are not supposed to have a standing army, that's how you get in trouble eventually. Tyrants, and dictators just love standing armies. WE are supposed to be the standing army, and Congress is supposed to provide us weapons. However it is the States that are to determine the officers and the specifics of the training. Again the founders were damn clever. They intended for Congress to fund the States militias, insuring the States retained their limited sovereignty and power.
Some argue that a standing army is a must in modern times, and that little old Americans can't repel or even dissuade a foreign invader. They are sorely mistaken. Japan refused to invade because we would have "a rifle behind every blade of grass" and the Soviet Union decided that if they had to invade, go through Alaska, cause there is no one there. They also noted to avoid Texas at all costs, cause they have lots of guns. Yes, regular old people with good military equipment can scare the pants off of foreign invaders. There is no reason to be have a standing army. A Navy, now that's different. A navy allows you to project your power, and defend your shores. It's critical to a free people. I would argue so is an air force today.
No, we are not supposed to have a standing army, that's how you get in trouble eventually. Tyrants, and dictators just love standing armies. WE are supposed to be the standing army, and Congress is supposed to provide us weapons. However it is the States that are to determine the officers and the specifics of the training. Again the founders were damn clever. They intended for Congress to fund the States militias, insuring the States retained their limited sovereignty and power.
Some argue that a standing army is a must in modern times, and that little old Americans can't repel or even dissuade a foreign invader. They are sorely mistaken. Japan refused to invade because we would have "a rifle behind every blade of grass" and the Soviet Union decided that if they had to invade, go through Alaska, cause there is no one there. They also noted to avoid Texas at all costs, cause they have lots of guns. Yes, regular old people with good military equipment can scare the pants off of foreign invaders. There is no reason to be have a standing army. A Navy, now that's different. A navy allows you to project your power, and defend your shores. It's critical to a free people. I would argue so is an air force today.
17: To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases
whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square)
as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress,
become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to
exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent
of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for
the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other
needful Buildings;
People were not supposed to live in D.C. Hence there is no provision for their representation. Ten square miles is a decent sized lot, but small enough to walk from one side to the other in an hour or so. It is more than enough space for all the essential buildings, but nor large enough to establish a town. But the D.C. of today is nearly 70 square miles! And it has a mayor! Clear violations of this clause.
--And
People were not supposed to live in D.C. Hence there is no provision for their representation. Ten square miles is a decent sized lot, but small enough to walk from one side to the other in an hour or so. It is more than enough space for all the essential buildings, but nor large enough to establish a town. But the D.C. of today is nearly 70 square miles! And it has a mayor! Clear violations of this clause.
--And
18: To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for
carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other
Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the
United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.