Most Presidents Ignore the Constitution

ANDREW P. NAPOLITANO
Wall Street Journal
Thursday, Oct 30, 2008

In a radio interview in 2001, then-Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama noted — somewhat ruefully — that the same Supreme Court that ordered political and educational equality in the 1960s and 1970s did not bring about economic equality as well. Although Mr. Obama said he could come up with arguments for the constitutionality of such action, the plain meaning of the Constitution quite obviously prohibits it.

Mr. Obama is hardly alone in his expansive view of legitimate government. During the past month, Sen. John McCain (who, like Sen. Obama, voted in favor of the $700 billion bank bailout) has been advocating that $300 billion be spent to pay the monthly mortgage payments of those in danger of foreclosure. The federal government is legally powerless to do that, as well.

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt first proposed legislation that authorized the secretary of agriculture to engage in Soviet-style central planning — a program so rigid that it regulated how much wheat a homeowner could grow for his own family’s consumption — he rejected arguments of unconstitutionality. He proclaimed that the Constitution was “quaint” and written in the “horse and buggy era,” and predicted the public and the courts would agree with him.

(Article continues below)

Remember that FDR had taken — and either Mr. Obama or Mr. McCain will soon take — the oath to uphold that old-fashioned document, the one from which all presidential powers come.

Unfortunately, these presidential attitudes about the Constitution are par for the course. Beginning with John Adams, and proceeding to Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush, Congress has enacted and the president has signed laws that criminalized political speech, suspended habeas corpus, compelled support for war, forbade freedom of contract, allowed the government to spy on Americans without a search warrant, and used taxpayer dollars to shore up failing private banks.

All of this legislation — merely tips of an unconstitutional Big Government iceberg — is so obviously in conflict with the plain words of the Constitution that one wonders how Congress gets away with it.

In virtually every generation and during virtually every presidency (Jefferson, Jackson and Cleveland are exceptions that come to mind) the popular branches of government have expanded their power. The air you breathe, the water you drink, the size of your toilet tank, the water pressure in your shower, the words you can speak under oath and in private, how your physician treats your illness, what your children study in grade school, how fast you can drive your car, and what you can drink before you drive it are all regulated by federal law. Congress has enacted over 4,000 federal crimes and written or authorized over one million pages of laws and regulations. Worse, we are expected by law to understand all of it.

Full article here

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9 Responses to “Most Presidents Ignore the Constitution”

Revolt426 Says:
October 30th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I have the article it also contains a great political cartoon of FDR proposing to expand the Supreme Court powers, great op ed, too bad it’s too late now.
Rich Says:
October 30th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Not so loud!! “We The People” are sleeping. Ron Paul for President. Write him in.
"C" Says:
October 30th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
The so-called Presidents of the USA are; and have been: Satanists, [what Constitution?].
Roosevelt consulted: Jeanne Dixon. The Psychic!
Reagan consulted: Joan Quigley. The Astrologer!
Clinton and his wife: spoke to the ghost of Mrs. Roosevelt!
Bush…well we know he gets nacked in coffins at the Skull and Bones Cult Club!
NEXT UP:
McCain? not a Christian!
Obama? not a Christian!

Oh! non of these devil worshipers are real Christians! But they all say they are?

WAKE UP CHRISTIANS! ALL OF THE DEMONS LIE and LIE and LIE!
JESUS SAID: ‘THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE’

VOTE THIRD PARTY…#1 i concur…write in Mr. Ron Paul for President!
Gabriella Says:
October 30th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Here’s the problem: Since 9/11 everything’s been exposed for both here and abroad to see. It is what it is. “ALL THINGS HIDDEN SHALL COME TO THE LIGHT.” This article is nothing more than to rub dirt on someone else. Seems to me God has had it with Molech’s Regime. Strike three. There is no place in scripture where 6 million of the world’s zealous play in Dubai while everyone else is either starved to death or chemically poisoned. There’s another problem: God has severely punished those who trusted in another country’s military might. Look it up.

Just by the article you can sense their fear. I hate fear – so does God. There’s a way out from this – just repent…..that’s all it takes. There are some high crimes that have taken place – yet no crime is worse than someone else’s. Keep traveling in this direction and surely you’ll feel His hand. It’s better to repent and ask Him to help you. Speaking to the ‘high places’. There’s no entity or place ‘high enough’ that has ever passed God’s head – nor will there ever be. But you still fear man more than God – what a predicament you’re in.
"C" Says:
October 30th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
‘For God does not give us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” [II Timothy 1:7]

WE THE PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER; and LOVE, and a Sound Mind: and the Spirit of Non-Fear!

Those who are Biblically illiterate: the Bible teaches that at the “end of days” every man should defend themselves.
On the Mount of Olives Jesus taught his Disciples’: this should be done at the end of time!

Then said he [Jesus] unto them [us], “But now he that hath a purse [cash] , let him take it, and likewise his scrip [credit cards]: and he that hath no sword [gun], let him sell his garment, and buy one.” [Luke 22:36]

Jesus himself said! “in the ‘end times!’ it is time to defend yourself!” Get a Gun! [sword]
Oh! and everyone thought that Jesus would not fight? Guess Again!
R.Y.A Says:
October 30th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Bush made a joke out of the Constitution. He had the obligation to defend the US “against all enemies foreign and domestic.” He choose, instead, to let 9/11 happen, despite the dozens of warnings he received between June and August 2001 that a large terrorist attack was coming. The August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Brief he received 36 days before 9/11 stated “preparations for hijackings are under way.” Bush angrily told the CIA briefer “Ok, you’ve covered your ass, you can leave now.” Bush refused to end his Crawford Texas, vacation, or to reissue the June 2001 public alert to watch out for young Muslim men who might hijack airliners! Bush had let that alert expire.
Respect for the Constitution begins with the basics: protecting your nation from foreign attacks. Bush felt that his Iraq plan of attack would be assisted by allowing Al Qaeda to attack us. And the profits that would flow from 2 wars would benefit military contractors who tend to donate to Republicans. We may never know if Bush has a kick back scheme set up, so that Halliburton and other contractors would kick back hundreds of millions to Bush’s and Cheney’s Secret Kuwaiti bank accounts, as a thank you for the hundreds of billions of dollars in contracts Bush has awarded them. Perhaps the banks Bush just bailed out at a cost of more than a trillion dollars have a similar kick back scheme under way. This treason and corruption sickens me. The scale of it exceeds anything the World has ever known.
princesjurnee21 Says:
October 30th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
well lets not twist the bible and make it say what we want it to say ,every single president of the united states has to be a freemason ,illuminatti,skulland bones ana all those billions of other ones they are pagans who worship pagan gods or deitys and if you pagan obviusly no matter who you think your worshinping whether for money or gain or greed ,power you worship the devil so do you the follow the constitition i think not …strive to enter in at the straight gate,for many will seek to enter in and shall not be able .luke13:24
"C" Says:
October 30th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
“REVOLUTION leads to REWARDS”
..that is the CONSTITUTION /with the Bill of RIGHTS!
..and the rewards are:….
…LIFE, LIBERTY and the Pursuit of HAPPINESS….this is the TRUTH!
..the old saying is: “IT IS NEVER TO LATE!”…keep on fighting my friends..for the TRUTH!
rich Says:
October 31st, 2008 at 4:28 am
thje arthor should have placed “old fashioned” in quotes such as this. he’s right though, and not only have presidents spit all over the law of the land, our senate and house has also !!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-t7PmonBEA

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