[Right Brother]

The Constitution applies to the federal government. Its sole purpose was to spell out what the government can can't do.

Now it's fixed. The Constitution's original intent was to be a prohibitive instrument regarding federal power.

[djsherin]

Actually the Constitution lays out what the federal government can do (and ALL it can do). If it listed what it can’t do, it would be a very long document.

[Tublecane]

“The Constitution’s original intent was to be a prohibitive instrument regarding federal power.”

Come on now, that’s just silly. The Constitution created the federal government. Its reason for existence is the notion that the states weren’t competent to run things on their own.

[Arthur McGowan]

Not quite true. The Constitution has many statements like “The Congress shall have power to...”

But the Tenth Amendment does make clear that whatever it doesn’t say the federal government can do, the federal govenrment CAN’T do.