As I am not up to writing a whole lot this morning, I thought I might hand the podium over to a Mr. James Madison. You may remember him from History class. Here's what he's got to say about bailouts, "Cash For Clunkers" and nationalsocializing healthcare:
"If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every State, county and parish and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may assume the provision of the poor; they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, every thing, from the highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress.... Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America."
I'll bet you thought you lived in the United States of the Framer's dreams, didn't you? ...As long as you bear in mind that "nightmares" is a subset of "dreams," you're right, too.
There's not a current or former Congresscritter, except maybe Ron Paul, who ought not be brought up on charges of treason and/or offenses against persons, be given a perfectly fair trial and be imprisoned for life at the very least. The Executive branch is equally culpable. Not gonna happen but hey, a gal can still dream, right? They haven't made that a Thoughtcrime yet, have they? Have they?
Oh man, you're on a list now for sure!
ReplyDelete:)
Life imprisonment means we have to support 'em, unless you're thinking Devil's Island.
ReplyDeleteFor that reason, I prefer permanent and irrevocable exile, violators to be treated as wolves are (scratch that: as wolves were).
Thoughtcrime? Well not yet, but watch out for the next patriot act...
ReplyDeletecrankyoldmanwithgun@yahoo.com
Sometimes it gives me the shivers to read what the Founders wrote, and see how prescient they were.
ReplyDeleteAll-in-all though, they did a good job in staving it off for a long time.
"Dear flag@whitehouse.gov: Let me tell you about this weirdo in Indianapolis..."
ReplyDeleteI second the motion.
ReplyDeleteI have often though of what a great prison Swam Island would be. This island mini-group in the Golfo de Mejico is very isolated, with a quite moderate climate. The old quonsets may still be refurbishable.
We would have to lease them from Nicarauga, but we could land 'em with basic farm gear, seed, and enough asprin and Ben-Gay to last a while. And keep enough firepower circling the place to discourage prison breaks.
Stranger
One "I."
ReplyDeleteCorrected, thank you. Wrote in some haste and my typing is lazy, going after the likeliest three-letter combinations every time.
ReplyDelete"On a list?" Hell, what's one more?
I think Mr. Free Market over in Blighty has the right idea here.
ReplyDeleteWV: ityphon. The small sound a politician makes as it realizes it's time has come...
Note to self: Roberta X is teasing me. She deducted an "I" from "calling" just to tease me. An engineering geek commenting on spelling? What's next, the media questioning government infringement on the Bill of Rights?
ReplyDeleteNo, James, I have been so sleepy, I missed that. Hey, I did fix "Madision."
ReplyDeleteHere's worse: the captcha for this comment is "fuskyme." I have no further comment.
Here's a wonderful place to plop our CongressCritters:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmyra_Atoll
"All I have to do is dream, dream, dream"