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   olitics.usa.republican   
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   From: bert@iphouse.com   
      
   In news:Xns9CEAC460EF14CDevilsAdvocatedevils@216.196.97.142 "Devil's   
   Advocate"  wrote:   
      
   > At Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Oct. 29th 2009 press conference, a CNS News   
   > reporter asked, "Madam Speaker, where specifically does the   
   > Constitution grant Congress the authority to enact an individual   
   > health insurance mandate?"   
   >   
   > Speaker Pelosi responded, "Are you serious? Are you serious?"   
      
   I didn't hear the exchange, so I don't know what, if anything, Pelosi   
   said to support her outburst.   
      
   But politicians of both parties sincerely believe that two clauses in   
   the US Constitution give them the power to do any damned thing they   
   want.   
      
   The first:   
      
   "The Congress shall have Power To ... provide for the ... general   
   Welfare of the United States; ..."   
      
   The second:   
      
   "[The Congress shall have Power ...] To regulate Commerce ... among the   
   several States, ..."   
      
   Of course, the first only works if you ignore the intervening mention   
   that the power is really only to collect taxes, and the second only   
   works if you intentionally forget what the word "regulate" means in the   
   context of the Constitution.   
      
   But that's just the way it is, and it's not just the Democrats who do   
   it.   
      
   --   
   Bert Hyman	St. Paul, MN	bert@iphouse.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)