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Key Democrat Expounds on Constitution’s “General Welfare” Clause
A Semi-News/Semi-Satire from AzConservative ^ | 24 October 2009 | John Semmens

Posted on 10/25/2009 1:52:42 PM PDT by John Semmens

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md) rebutted claims that a government mandate compelling everyone to buy health insurance would be unconstitutional.

“As I read the Constitution, the government has the right to enact any requirement it deems serves the general welfare of the nation,” Hoyer asserted. “If we feel that the nation’s general welfare would be served by requiring everyone to purchase health insurance, we will do so. If we feel that the general welfare would be served by forcing everyone to get a flu shot, then everyone will have to get a shot.”

Hoyer maintained that “the idea that individuals have rights that supercede the general welfare is flat out wrong. Letting people decide for themselves is the road to anarchy. Individual prerogatives are a privilege that must be closely monitored by the government. If any of these privileges clash with the general welfare they are null and void. Congress will take whatever steps to suppress them whenever it deems it necessary to do so.”

(Excerpt) Read more at azconserv1.wordpress.com ...


TOPICS: Government; History; Humor; Politics
KEYWORDS: democrats; satire; tyranny; welfare

1 posted on 10/25/2009 1:52:42 PM PDT by John Semmens
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To: John Semmens

.............................................whatever.


2 posted on 10/25/2009 1:54:23 PM PDT by Psycho_Bunny (ALSO SPRACH ZEROTHUSTRA)
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To: John Semmens

Continuing proof that none of them has the slightest idea of what is in the Constitution. They just know that it is always getting in the way of Tyrants.


3 posted on 10/25/2009 2:00:43 PM PDT by Steamburg ( Your wallet speaks the only language most politicians understand.)
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To: John Semmens
What would Hoyer know about the Constitution.

I like Madison on the meaning of the General Welfare clause.


"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 may assume the provision of the poor;
they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads;
in short, every thing, 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 the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America." —
James Madison
Of course, Hoyer’s views probably match up with Republicans like George W. Bush. It is possible even Boehner and McConnell would agree more with Hoyer than with Madison.
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4 posted on 10/25/2009 2:01:52 PM PDT by cc2k (I have donated to Doug Hoffman, have you? [check my recent reply posts])
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To: John Semmens

You should go for the hat trick. :)-


5 posted on 10/25/2009 2:02:23 PM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Throw the bums out who vote yes on the bail out)
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To: John Semmens

Ah, satire. The beauty of satire is it so closely resembles truth.


6 posted on 10/25/2009 2:02:44 PM PDT by ought-six ( Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule.)
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To: Steamburg

Proof of what? This is satire. It’s scary how realistic satire can sound nowadays, but let’s not be using satire to “prove” anything...


7 posted on 10/25/2009 2:06:27 PM PDT by Conscience of a Conservative
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To: John Semmens; All

“... and PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE ...”

No where does it say - REQUIRE EVERYBODY TO HAVE HEALTHCARE.


8 posted on 10/25/2009 2:16:15 PM PDT by CyberAnt (Michael Yon: "The U.S. military is the most respected institution in Iraq.")
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To: John Semmens

So the ‘general welfare” clause can be read:

Disreagard all previous or subsequent sections of this doucument,

is that his argument?


9 posted on 10/25/2009 2:21:03 PM PDT by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
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To: MileHi; John Semmens

Oh, I see it was that semi crap posted here again.


10 posted on 10/25/2009 2:24:10 PM PDT by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
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To: John Semmens

The General Welfare clause was thoroughly debated in the Constitutional Convention. There is the well-known story, true or not, of Gouverneur Morris trying to slip in a semicolon to make it less tied to defense. What is undeniable is that “general welfare” came from the Articles of Confederation, probably via John Dickinson. It was intended for funding debts due to the war. In the Constitution, it was intended for levying taxes and funding debt, not for “anything that is good for the country.” Madison, as another poster here noted, rejected that. Alexander Hamilton, one of the first Big Government politicians, argued about the same as Hoyer did. There is, however, ample evidence that the founders did not intend anything like health care as they did not put it into Article I, and most thought the 10th Amendment was a redundancy, totally unnecessary because the Constitution was clear enough that Congress’ powers are completely outlined in Article I.


11 posted on 10/25/2009 2:29:22 PM PDT by ElectronVolt
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To: John Semmens

Oops, I looked at this again and realized it’s faux news. What should have caught my attention is that Steny Hoyer would never try to justify something as constitutional. He just does it and never speaks of whether it’s legal. The same goes for the Supreme Court.


12 posted on 10/25/2009 2:37:59 PM PDT by ElectronVolt
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To: John Semmens

The general welfare the founders envisioned surely consisted primarily of the preservation of individual liberty, not socialist collectivism.


13 posted on 10/25/2009 2:39:35 PM PDT by mtrott
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To: John Semmens
The problem with applying satire to this administration and Congress is that the payoff of the “Oh its Satire” moment doesn't work. Most of us believe that its not even close to “out of the question” that some fool in the current Congress and/or administration would voice such an idea.
14 posted on 10/25/2009 2:44:13 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the next one...)
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To: John Semmens
1)the idea that individuals have rights that supercede the general welfare is flat out wrong.
2) Letting people decide for themselves is the road to anarchy.
3)Individual prerogatives are a privilege that must be closely monitored by the government.
4)If any of these privileges clash with the general welfare they are null and void.
5)Congress will take whatever steps to suppress them whenever it deems it necessary to do so.

Principles of tyranny in a nutshell.

15 posted on 10/25/2009 2:57:40 PM PDT by mjp (pro-{God, reality, reason, egoism, individualism, independence, limited government, capitalism})
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To: Steamburg

Like Hitler described the general welfare to the Jews as his thugs hauled them off.


16 posted on 10/25/2009 3:14:14 PM PDT by ExTexasRedhead
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To: John Semmens
I know the source, but he did say he thought the General Welfare clause permits them to force people to buy health insurance. And the logic extension is correct. If they can force us to buy health insurance, they can make us do or not do ANYTHING as long as they claim its for the "general welfare". Not the explicit 17 enumerated items after this clause, such as roads, post offices, lower courts, etc.

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"Flickr Archive of Zero Bills"

17 posted on 10/25/2009 3:32:42 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: John Semmens

The “general welfare” clause is NOT a power granted to the government, it’s a goal for the constitution. The constitution grants specific and limiter powers to the government, with the purpose of those powers being to meet the goals set out by the framers.

only an idiot would confuse the goal of something with the powers used to attain that goal.

The fact is, the general welfare is best secured when the federal government does little or nothing. That’s why the framers gave the federal government so little power.


18 posted on 10/25/2009 5:17:48 PM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: John Semmens

Well, Steny IS a lawyer. He just never was a very good one. His legal practice in Maryland was not much he is a bought and paid for DemocRAT.


19 posted on 10/26/2009 4:02:03 AM PDT by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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