Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:46:45 -0500, Tim Daneliuk wrote:

From your postings here, I know you to be thoughtful and well read.
Please cite a single example in American legal history that would
ever lead you to believe any of this is the responsibility of the
Federal government?

How about "promote the general welfare"?


Madison commented on this clause specifically, knowing that people
would try to read it as you have: A Get Out Of Jail Free card for
all manner of Federal government action. He specifically said it
was *not* that - that reading it this way would undermine the doctrine
of enumerated powers that animates the entire Constitution.

"Promote the general welfare" is properly (in terms of the Framers'
intent) read to be a statement of *purpose for creating a Constitution*.
It is not a grant of unlimited power, but a *justification* for
a limited Federalist system bounded by very narrow enumerated powers -
the exact opposite of what you're trying to pry out of it.

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Tim Daneliuk
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