MILLER: Butchering the Constitution

The Washington Times ^ | November 19, 2012 | Emily Miller

[jazusamo]

Congressional leaders show lack of respect for founding document

Our Constitution is in a sorry state these days. The nation’s founding document has been weakened by President Obama’s ongoing expansion of power and further diminished by his Democratic allies on Capitol Hill who don’t even bother to cite the highest law in the land properly.

Consider House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s confused response to a simple question asked at her weekly press conference on Thursday. A reporter wanted to know whether she was willing to split up the deals with Republicans over expiring tax rates and raising the debt ceiling. The California Democrat said no, explaining, “I’m with the 11th Amendment. So — is it the 11th Amendment that — 14th? Whatever it is, I’m with the Constitution of the United States.” The 11th Amendment says a citizen can’t sue a state in which he doesn’t live. However, Section 4 of the 14th Amendment says the U.S. public debt must be paid. Mrs. Pelosi seems to have been trying to say that not raising the debt ceiling is off the table because, in her mind, the president can increase the borrowing limit without congressional approval.

When Republicans retook the House majority in January 2011, they put in place a rule requiring every member who introduces a bill to explain the constitutional authority for what he proposes to do. The Republican Study Committee has been tracking these authority statements, highlighting the most egregious examples of failure in constitutional scholarship among Democrats.

[jazusamo]

The examples of Elijah Cummings and Charlie Rangel are hilarious and the saddest thing is if they were convicted of an egregious felony their constituents would relect them.

[Venturer]

You ,mean like they re-elected Obama and Jesse Jackson Jr.?

[jazusamo]

It seems so.

The Won has made a mockery of the rule of law and JJ Jr. checked himself into a funny farm which now looks like a ploy by him to get a disability retirement and they were both reelected.

You just can't make this stuff up, truth is weirder than fiction.

[marktwain]

There was a reason the founders designed a limited republic instead of a pure democracy. We are seeing the end results of decades of striving toward pure democracy as a step toward totalitarian control.

[Cheerio]

We are a lawless nation.

[Tublecane]

“The 11th amendment says a citizen can’t sue a state in which he doesn’t live”

According to SCOTUS citizens can’t sue states at all, except for “civil rights violations.” If they can’t get it right, why would you expect it from Congress?

[Venturer]

Let me just add this.

if either of these people were white Republicans, their ploy would be ended.

It would be all over.

[DaveA37]

Constitution? We don’t need no stinking constitution, we have “excutive order” which is far easier to use. (sarc)

[Terry Mross]

Maybe, just maybe, there will come a day when true conservatives are the majority and the liberals will regret this pure democracy crap. I’m sure I won’t live to see it but maybe......