Special Interest's Needs Come Before Adhering to our Constitution

by jwright

An article Saturday in the Cadillac News, front page above the fold, stated “Many in Michigan upset about bailout collapse.” The article quoted UAW president Ron Gettlefnger and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. Both had nasty words to say about U.S. Senate Republicans in particular. Several local residents added responsible remarks to the commentary; some in favor, some not.

Me? I’d merely suggest that our lawmakers, especially the U.S. House and Senate Democrats who are heavily influenced by a major “special interest,” namely the UAW that represents most auto-workers in our region, to reread the 14th amendment of our U.S. Constitution; the part guaranteeing equal protection for all.

I’m not a constitutional scholar by any means but many smarter people than me have responded to these bailouts, especially retired Judge Andrew Napolitano, as follows: "Bailouts violate the Equal Protection doctrine because the Congress can’t fairly pick and choose who to bail out and who to let expire; they violate the General Welfare Clause because they benefit only a small group and not the general public; they violate the Due Process Clause because they interfere with contracts already entered into; and they turn the public treasury into a public trough. Worse still, Congress lacks the power to let someone else decide how to spend the peoples’ money. In effect, the Congress delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury some of the power the Constitution has delegated to the Congress: The power to decide when, how, for whose benefit, and in what amounts taxpayer dollars should be spent.”

The key wording to me is that Congress lacks the power to delegate someone else to spend the public’s money. They seem to forget that it’s NOT the government’s money; it’s ours!
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Additionally, they are in effect shredding the law of the land; our Constitution. I find that deplorable.
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jaq~