[PatrickHenry]

It did used to. The 5th Amendment prohibits the Federal Government from infringing on a person's life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

True. The expression "liberal construction" had confused someone into thinking it means "liberal agenda," so there was a brief digression into laws about sodomy. It was in that context that I made my comment about the 14th Amendment. But you're quite right. The Congress itself was always so limited, but Congress never legislated about matters of strictly local concern.

[Tailgunner Joe]

I don't think I'm confused at all. The liberals use exactly your "liberal construction" when "emanating" new "rights" which have no basis in the law. You may not think sodomy is a "right" protected by the ninth amendment, but liberals sure do.