“Do not separate text from its historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government.” – James Madison
The writings of our forefathers were certainly prescient. With the quote above in tow, one only needs to look at the commerce clause of the Constitution to see what happens when the historical background is not taken into account.
The sixteen words that make up the commerce clause have been used to shift the balance of power from the people and the states to the ruling class and the imperial federal government. The most recent examples of this are the recently enacted health care and financial reforms recently enacted by congress and the president. These legislative acts would not have succeeded in the early days of our republic when the words of our founders resonated in ears of its citizens.
Why do they suceed today? You don’t have to look any farther than the elementary and high schools of today. Our children are no longer educated in the founding principles of this country, the words of our founders, or a thorough reading of our founding documents. Instead, our children are taught about the New Deal era of government portraying the federal government as the righteous great provider. The problem is that the government can’t provide for one without taking from someone else.
Our rights, liberties and wealth are what have been taken. This government continues to enrich and empower itself and its benefactors with more of our money. There is no recession in Washington, D.C. In fact, there is no economic suffering if you’re employed by the imperial government. They continue to see their salaries, benefits and pensions grow all on the backs of fewer and fewer taxpayers. This government spends well beyond its citizens’ ability to repay this debt.
The only logical design of such a policy is to ensure the redistribution of wealth through taxation from the upper and middle classes to the imperial government and its beneficiaries. The imperial government creates the circumstances of the crisis, and acts as the benefactor to the citizens impacted by the crisis thereby cementing into these beneficiaries’ minds the righteousness of the imperial government. In fact, it is the taxpayer that provides this charity, but, rather than receiving credit, the taxpayer is demeaned by the imperial government as having attained his wealth through nefarious means.
It is the imperial government that is using nefarious means to divide and conquer the people of this republic. The use of the commerce clause in this pursuit certainly wouldn’t stand when viewed in its historical context.
This federal government is illegitimate.