General Zinni on Sixty Minutes

Medicare and SS have not been "found" to be anything, Ed.

Or do you have cite for a ruling we are unaware of?

Also- don't put up strawmen.

There is a difference between "un" constitutional and "extra" consitutional.

I for one am not claiming that the current social safety net is
unconstituional. Only the supremes can make that call. [Note: it could be
argued- and it is a reasonable argument at that- that the SCOTUS do not have
the power to declare anything "Constitutional;" only "Unconstitutional."]

I am claiming that the vast majority of the social safety net is
extraconstitutional, however.

And as to the claims (repeated by you) about "the consent of the governed"
and all of that- there are plenty of rational, well-educated and reasonable
people in this country who are keeping their powder dry.

Literally.

Steve Swartz


"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 15:21:58 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote:


"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
.. .

That's absurd. We agree beforehand in our republic that once a
decision is made through the legislative process, we will abide by
that decision or seek to change it through the established judicial
process. We don't get to pick and choose which laws we will comply
with or which government programs we will allow our taxes to support.


But we didn't agree to these programs beforehand! There is no
Constitutional basis for them. The proper legislative process was not
followed. If the government can pick and choose which Constitutional
provisions it will adhere to and which it will ignore why can't the
citizenry pick and choose which laws it will follow?

Excuse me? Social Security and Medicare are not the result of an act
of Congress? There were no elections for those representatives? There
was no public debate? There have been no subsequent modifications to
the program at the behest of interest groups, concerned citizens, etc?
Where then did these programs come from? How were they authorized? Who
runs them?

Government chooses policies after debate and public input to solve the
needs of the nation. The Constitutionality is determined by
established rules but only after the fact of legislative or executive
action. Seems as though Medicare and SS have not been found
unconstitutional.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8