James Madison, considered the father of our constitution, stated the following: “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace negotiations and foreign commerce.” The operations of the federal government will be most extensive and important in times of war and danger; those of the State governments, in times of peace and security.” “The executive has no right, in any case, to decide the question, weather there is or is not cause for declaring war.” “With respect to the words general welfare, I have always regarded then as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators.” “It is very certain that [the commerce clause] grew out of the abuse of the power by importing States in taxing the non-importing, and was intended as a negative and preventive provision against injustice among the States themselves, rather than as a power to be used for the positive purposes of the General Government.” “I cannot undertake to lay my finger on the article of the constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.” James Madison criticizing an attempt to grant public monies for charitable means, 1794 “If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every State, county and parish and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they ay assume the provisions of the poor; they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, everything, from the highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress… Were the power of Congress to be established in this latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very Nature of the limited Government established by the people of America.” Does any of this sound like what is happening in this country today?
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:03:02 +0000
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