General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forumspromote the general welfare
Our founding fathers have put into the US Constitution of the government responsibility of quarantines.
So any trumpers that declare their constitutional rights... refer to them "promote the general welfare" in the preamble of the US Constitution
In Philadelphia 1793, face coverings were required and Washington had his government worked from home, rather their offices.
Buckeye_Democrat
(14,846 posts)They usually say, "That's just in the preamble and doesn't mean anything!"
That's among the more "educated" in their midst, who even know about it.
Nevilledog
(50,676 posts)Pick and choose, then misinterpret, the parts they like. Ignore the rest.
Buckeye_Democrat
(14,846 posts)They especially like to ignore the passages that warn against wealth in the Bible.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)First off, the words promote the general welfare appear in the preamble. These words are not considered law. Theyre not an enforceable provision of the Constitution, itself.
Second, this was a serious issue of contention among the founders. States have what we call police powers. They can LEGISLATE for the general welfare of their citizens. Can the Federal government do that? No, the founders declared. The federal government can not legislate (pass laws) for the general welfare of the American people. As a compromise, the founders agreed that the federal government may promote the general welfare, but it still may not LEGISLATE for the general welfare. It is upon this very ground that Trump is trying to get the SCOTUS to overturn the ACA. Trump says the ACA is an unconstitutional case of the federal government legislating for the general welfare, and that such laws are prohibited by the Constitution. Regrettably, Trump has a point.
The states are free to legislate for the general welfare all they want. Constitutionally, this is not a power that has been granted to the federal government.
-Laelth