That’s how it’s being portrayed by the media, and the candidates. Standing up for the constitution, as I always say, every issue every time no exceptions no excuses – is extreme in the 2010 election climate. See this article in the Sun Chronicle about a candidate getting slammed for signing our 10th Amendment pledge:
The campaign of U.S. Rep. James McGovern is accusing Republican challenger Marty Lamb of signing a “radical” state’s rights pledge that holds that Social Security and Medicare are unconstitutional.
But Lamb said McGovern is misconstruing the meaning of the pledge, which, he said, merely promises to uphold the Constitution and protect state’s rights.
He said McGovern, D-Worcester, is trying to change the subject from his own weak record on illegal immigration and protecting Medicare.
At issue is a so-called 10th Amendment pledge. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution states that powers not expressly given to the federal government are reserved for the states and people.
In the pledge, candidates also promise to adopt a narrow interpretation of the general welfare and interstate commerce clauses in the Constitution. Programs such as Social Security, Medicare, child labor laws and anti-discrimination statues were passed under those clauses. The website for the 10th Amendment Center, sponsors of the pledge, has an article questioning the constitutionality of Social Security.
Good. I don’t have much to say about Lamb’s response at this point, but maybe I’ll address it later on. In the meantime, I’m glad to know that a sitting US congressman sees our positions as dangerous to the status quo. We’re obviously doing the right thing, then.
thanks, McGovern – we’ll be back with more!
I kind of think the best way to do with SS and medicaid is to slowly up the age in which you can benefits. I just can't imagine kicking out hundreds of thousands seniors on the street overnight.
I'm sure a lot of creative solutions could be found if we can just get the left out of the way long enough to find them. But, yes, there is no way we can just cut off SS and medicaid cold turkey.
I think it is important to point out to people that we are not precluding a legal version of these programs (Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security)being passed, as they are nullified. They are for the most part legal when enacted at the state level (assuming the state Constitution does not bar them).