[OneWingedShark]

The way to put the welfare state into check is to enforce budget constraints; the way to enforce budget constraints involves a Constitutional amendment to:
(a) remove the Congress's power to regulate the Dollar's value,
(b) define the Dollar's value in terms of a real, physical commodity [e.g. gold],
(c) ensure that the amount in b cannot be tampered w/ via the Congress's control of weights and measures,
(d) invalidate and prohibit "unfunded liabilities" [or any obligation laid upon the states w/o funding]
(e) define the debt limit in terms of the physical commodity [i.e. the United States shall assume no debt which shall cause the total obligations of the United States to exceed 110% of the gold in the treasury], and finally
(f) cause compulsory loss of position and retirement benefits for the confiscation of the commodity in b.

[CPT Clay]

b.) 271.25 grains of pure silver or 23.22 grains of pure gold equal ONE Dollar.