In response to Republicans and others who question the government's

[JDPriestly]

authority to maintain, to tax and distribute revenue for Social Security.

Article I, Section 8 of our US Constitution states among other things:

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To regulate Commerce . . . among the several States . . . ;

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#A1Sec8

Congress is not just instructed to promote the general welfare, but to PROVIDE for the general welfare.

I heard a caller on Randi Rhodes show claiming that the Constitution only instructed Congress to promote the general welfare. The caller denied that the Constitution instructed Congress to provide for the general welfare.

I suspect that the caller's false reading of the Constitution is making the rounds among Republican rote learners. Please correct this by pointing to Article I, section 8 (remember that) of the Constitution. And while you are at it, read that section very carefully. Republicans misquote it all the time.

***

While we are talking about the Constitution, I think that one of the most interesting limitations on government established in the Constitution is the following also in Article I, section 8 authorizing Congress:

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;

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#A1Sec8

In my view, the point of the restriction on Congress's appropriation of money for the armies for two years was to prevent our country from becoming enmeshed in foreign wars (we see today the results of our failure to follow the spirit of this provision). France and Britain were bankrupting themselves fighting foreign wars. And that possibility (as we see today) was to be avoided by this provision.

The Navy was viewed as a defense force and therefore no similar limitation was placed on the funding of the Navy.

Probably the conduct of our current government that would most distress the Founding Fathers is our military presence overseas. And frankly, it has reached absurd proportions.

[SheilaT]

1. WHAT?? You actually READ the Constitution?

How UnAmerican of you!

It is amazing how those who set themselves up as experts ("Social Security is Unconstitutional") never even bother to read the thing.

[JDPriestly]

5. Your comment reminds me of a story.

I took a night class -- a continuing education class.

When I got back my exam paper, the student next to me asked, how did you know all this stuff? I said, I read the text. He looked at me with shock written all over his face? You read the text book? he asked.

My generation learned to read, thank you. We did not, however, learn computers.

[SheilaT]

7. When I was taking classes at my local junior college

in Kansas, which I did more or less steadily for over ten years, I kept on telling the 19 year olds who sat next to me that the reason I was making straight A's was because I always went to class and I always did my homework.

Both of those were novel concepts for some of my fellow students.

[JDPriestly]

8. I believe you. Older students have a lot of disadvantages, but

the big advantage they have is knowing how to apply themselves.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. Excellent! I noticed other things too...

They have the right to lay and collect TAXES, which some right wing nutjobs claim the govt does not.

They have to set up post offices, which the Repukes are always complaining about and saying should be abolished.

They should promote science and arts.

And many more things the Repukes fight against.

The Repukes are not patriotic.

[JDPriestly]

4. Republicans do not read the Constitution.

I know it is pretty extreme to make such a broad assertion, but it seems to be the case.

Either they don't read it, or their reading comprehension levels are so low that they cannot understand it. That's also quite possible.

I know people who succeed in business but cannot read well and cannot spell.

I used to have a boss who handled financial matters and made an incredible number of obvious mathematical mistakes. Why he was the boss is beyond me other than that he was a very nice guy in some ways. I really didn't mind his spelling and math errors, but I did mind having to clean up his work for him.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. You're right, GOPers don't know what the Constitution says, only to the GOP's Joseph Goebbels

And yet they 'quote' the Constitution, but only cafeteria style, so as to lose the entire meaning of the Constitution.

[MrDiaz]

3. i once told a

repuke associate the same thing. And according to his response is howcome the government DOESN'T TAKE CARE OF OUR DEBTS. LMFAO how stupid is that. i laughed in his face.