Tim Jones: Social Security and Medicare are Unconstitutional
Birther Rep. Tim Jones (R-Eureka) presented his legislation to exempt Missourians from any federal health care mandates their respective committees this morning. The hearing room was crowded with conservative activists, who clapped and and grumbled as legislators discussed Jones' proposal. I don't understand their incredible devotion to our unsustainable and unaffordable health care system, but it was cool to see such so many people fired up in the Capitol basement.
As I understand it, supporters of Jones' bill (and Sen. Jane Cunningham's analogous legislation in the Senate) believe the Senate- and House-passed health care legislation would grant the federal government powers not granted in Article 1, Section 8, and power reserved by the states in the 10th Amendment. I think that's a bunch of hooey, but that's the argument.*
Challenging Jones on this analysis. Rep. Curt Dougherty (D-Independence) asked Jones if other federal health care programs and their associated taxes and mandates are similarly outside the powers granted to Congress. Jones said yes.
REP. CURT DOUGHERTY: If we really want to pure and purist in this type of resolution -- really we pay for Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare [inaudible] welfare programs, social services. And those are all imposed by the federal government, too, aren't they?
REP. TIM JONES: They - they are.
DOUGHERTY: Then in a pure sense, would we reject all those also? Just let the government get down to giving us a well-regulated militia, and every state do their own thing?
JONES: Philosophically, yes!
DOUGHERTY: Ok. Just checking, thank you.
So philosophically, as a defender of the Constitution, Jones is duty-bound to sponsor similar legislation stop Missourians' rights from being trampled by Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. Right?
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Tip of the cap for the video to Michelle_Moore
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* And really: who am I to argue with a keen legal mind who believes the President is an illegal alien, born in Kenya?
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Meaning
JAS,
How does one decide which parts of the Constitution have meaning and which do not?
False Premise
Progressives will have a hard time defeating Conservatives as long as we accept their arguments without challenging their premises. In the above posting, the author mentions "powers not granted in Article 1, Section 8, and power reserved by the states in the 10th Amendment." Conservatives insist the powers of the federal government are limited and the States can ignore them. Progressives should adopt the more reasonable interpretation of the Constitution, that the powers of Congress are virtually unlimited and the Tenth Amendment is virtually meaningless.