clb09
09-04-2009, 07:16 PM
http://pr.thinkprogress.org/2009/09/pr20090901
DISTORTING THE DOCUMENT: Tenthers derive their narrow vision of the Constitution from a strained reading of the Tenth Amendment, which provides that the Constitution contains an itemized list of federal powers and anything not contained in that list is beyond Congress' authority. In the tenthers' eyes, Congress' powers must all be read too narrowly to allow most federal statutes to exist. However, the tenther constitution bears little resemblance to the words of the document itself. Contrary to tenther claims that federal spending programs like Medicare or Social Security are unconstitutional, Article I of the Constitution empowers Congress to "lay and collect taxes" and to "provide for...the general welfare of the United States," which unambiguously authorizes it to spend money in ways that benefit the nation. Similarly, Congress' broad authority to enact regulatory schemes that "substantially affect interstate commerce" easily encompasses laws like the federal minimum wage and the requirement that businesses do not discriminate on the basis of race. As Roosevelt chided tenther-like conservatives from his era, "The Constitution of 1787 did not make our democracy impotent."
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/04/posey-tenther/
Earlier this week, Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) held a health care town hall meeting in Melbourne, FL, which attracted well over 2,000 attendees. Posey is most famously known for introducing the “birther” bill — legislation that would require presidential candidates to submit their birth certificates to prove they are really U.S. citizens. But the “birther “conspiracy wasn’t the right-wing fringe theory that Posey spent his time discussing on Wednesday night.
Instead, Posey expressed his allegiance to “tentherism” — a stance adopted by many right-wing activists which posits that health care reform is an unconstitutional infringement on states’ rights. In an interview with ThinkProgress following the event, Posey told us in no uncertain terms that he believes Obama’s health care reform proposal is unconstitutional.
Posey’s “tenther” views found strong support among the crowd. Indeed, one of the questions posed to him from a town hall attendee wondered “how are any federal solutions to the health care problems constitutional?” (Posey responded that “there are some definite constituational questions.”)
DISTORTING THE DOCUMENT: Tenthers derive their narrow vision of the Constitution from a strained reading of the Tenth Amendment, which provides that the Constitution contains an itemized list of federal powers and anything not contained in that list is beyond Congress' authority. In the tenthers' eyes, Congress' powers must all be read too narrowly to allow most federal statutes to exist. However, the tenther constitution bears little resemblance to the words of the document itself. Contrary to tenther claims that federal spending programs like Medicare or Social Security are unconstitutional, Article I of the Constitution empowers Congress to "lay and collect taxes" and to "provide for...the general welfare of the United States," which unambiguously authorizes it to spend money in ways that benefit the nation. Similarly, Congress' broad authority to enact regulatory schemes that "substantially affect interstate commerce" easily encompasses laws like the federal minimum wage and the requirement that businesses do not discriminate on the basis of race. As Roosevelt chided tenther-like conservatives from his era, "The Constitution of 1787 did not make our democracy impotent."
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/04/posey-tenther/
Earlier this week, Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) held a health care town hall meeting in Melbourne, FL, which attracted well over 2,000 attendees. Posey is most famously known for introducing the “birther” bill — legislation that would require presidential candidates to submit their birth certificates to prove they are really U.S. citizens. But the “birther “conspiracy wasn’t the right-wing fringe theory that Posey spent his time discussing on Wednesday night.
Instead, Posey expressed his allegiance to “tentherism” — a stance adopted by many right-wing activists which posits that health care reform is an unconstitutional infringement on states’ rights. In an interview with ThinkProgress following the event, Posey told us in no uncertain terms that he believes Obama’s health care reform proposal is unconstitutional.
Posey’s “tenther” views found strong support among the crowd. Indeed, one of the questions posed to him from a town hall attendee wondered “how are any federal solutions to the health care problems constitutional?” (Posey responded that “there are some definite constituational questions.”)