Oh, Yeah — The Constitution — Of Course…
By John Lofton, Editor
I had an interesting, but somewhat depressing, conversation recently with a nice young man at a major conservative Washington DC “think tank” who had written a paper giving 10 reasons why President Obama’s “stimulus” boondoggle should not include any Federal spending on education. All 10 reasons were very good ones. But, BUT, missing from the list was the fact that any Federal spending on education is un-Constitutional. Here’s our exchange:
Q: Why no mention of the fact that all education spending by the Federal Government is unconstitutional?
A: You know, I think you’re absolutely right. I could’ve said that. And we say that in many other areas. We just wanted to hit on the things that are in play now. I think that education funding, in general - there’s questions about the Constitutionality. Unfortunately, that train has left the station. And it has certainly left the station in discussion about that stimulus bill. But, I understand your point.
Q: Your reply is interesting because as long as the Constitution is not mentioned, it will not be, as you say, be “in play,” and you not mentioning it helps the Constitution to not be “in play.” And there’s no question that in the Constitution there is no authority to spend one penny on education. And, I might add that this “stimulus package” itself is unconstitutional.
A: It’s a good point.
Q: This is so depressing - that even conservative groups such as yours do not make an issue of the Constitution.
A: I understand what you’re saying. But I’m telling you we are trying to lead with the points that matter to the people who are reading this (his paper.)
Q: I understand and am now even more depressed because what you’re saying is that people reading your paper don’t care about the Constitution, whether something is or is not Constitutional.
In fact, in the future, whatever you’re writing about re: Federal spending, will probably be, most of the time, unconstitutional.
A: That’s a good point. And I appreciate your feedback.