The problem with citing the Federalist Papers is that they aren't "the law". They didn't get voted on and they didn't get ratified by the several states. But the general welfare clause did.Southack's personal opinions: not law either. The difference is, the guys who wrote the Federalist Papers also had a lot to do with writing the Constitution.
Who knows more about the actual meaning of the Constitution, you, or the people who wrote it?
Let me note, of course, that I'm the one who actually quoted the whole thing, as opposed to a meaningless sentence fragment divorced from its context.
While I'm asking questions, were the Founding Fathers so stupid they wrote out a lengthy enumeration of powers already granted under the heading of the general welfare?
And the general welfare clause conveys as much power to the federal government as the "common defense" phrase.
Thanks for bringing that up.
Later in the same section, we find:
To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;
To provide and maintain a navy;
Separate powers not otherwise granted. So much for that one.
Sometimes they even cite non-statute references such as the Federalist Papers in some vain attempt at establishing "intent" to that end, too...
I haven't seen you cite anything at all. I'd rather take something on the authority of the people who wrote it than on the authority of some random person on the internet who insists that his peculiar view is right. Yeah, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton didn't know what they were talking about. LOL Any other wild eyed claims you'd like to make while you're at it?
And, again, I've quoted the actual provisions of the Constitution.
And again, you've managed to claim that the general welfare clause has no value.
According to you, everything must be enumerated. The "common defense" clause is meaningless, only a standing army (2 years) and navy are legal. In your view, we can't have an air force, satellites, or national missile defense because the phrase "common defense" doesn't cover them and they aren't enumerated.
That's simply wrong.
Just as the common defense clause authorizes unenumerated items such as national missile defense, so to does the general welfare clause authorize unenumerated government programs.