Taking another look at the United States Constitution

“Most of what Congress does is not authorized by the Constitution, but they do it anyway.” That was the comment made by Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and referenced by Fox News host Andrew Napolitano in a Freedom Watch segment. He’s right of course.

Look, I’m not saying there is no place for government regulation and taxes, but the tremendous amount of ignorance on display concerning the United States Constitution and the federal government’s relationship with the states – as envisioned by our Founding Fathers – is immense. Maybe it’s not ignorance, and better described as unfamiliarity.

Ed Morrissey points out the video from the Fox News show in his post, Who Killed the Constitution?

[T]he Constitution has been an afterthought for Congresses controlled by both parties. Where in the Constitution does Congress derive the authority for No Child Left Behind, for instance, or Medicare Part D? In the first case, education is supposed to be under the control of local boards, as far away from Washington DC as it gets on the political spectrum. In the latter, the same Congress that passed Medicare Part D also refused to let private insurers sell policies across state lines for the same purpose.

As Morrissey notes, it is really good to see more and more individuals discussing the Constitution throughout the media and in person.

I’ve had plenty to say about the incremental power shift from state legislatures and the people to the federal government ever since the New Deal which eventually morphed into the Great Society programs that have gotten us … almost nowhere. Just take a close look at cities including Detroit to see where the trillions in entitlement programs funded by the federal government has gotten us.

I hope to be a founder of a plan – through blog posts at this point – to incremental shift of power from the federal government back to state legislatures and the people. I’m hopeful I will see it in my lifetime, preferably with enough time on the clock to sit back and watch future generations enjoy American exceptionalism, strength and prosperity as we offer an example to the rest of the world.

Here’s the video from Fox News.

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