Feeling Filleted; Tell us Senator, what’s your plan?

View 712 Thursday, February 09, 2012

Today I merely feel filleted, so perhaps I am recovering, but I’m sure not in good shape. I won’t be going to my LASFS meeting tonight, and I don’t have much energy, but it’s all better than yesterday. Of course I sort of remember a week ago when I thought I was recovering, too, but since most of these things last about two weeks, I think I really am on the mend. Meanwhile all kinds of interesting things are happening out there.

Mr. Santorum now has the opportunity to be what he said he wanted to be, the conservative alternative to Mr. Obama. He can ignore Romney. If Romney fires up the attack machine, he can reconsider, but the proper way to do that would be to put forth his own program.

Every Republican candidate has pledged to end Obamacare. There’s no more issue in that. Attacking Romney for Romneycare is not precisely conservative: if Massachusetts wants Romneycare that’s their affair, not that of the Federal government. So far as I am concerned Massachusetts can reinstate the Congreagational Church as an established religion. That’s the plain meaning of the Constitution, and this modern interpretation of the Civil War Amendments forbidding the States from an establishment of religion didn’t even exist before 1947, and it took a while after that before it became the politically correct monstrosity the doctrine has become now. True enough, no state will establish a religion, and the last state to have one disestablished it just before the Civil War, but the First Amendment is very clear: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. This was explicitly intended to prevent the federal government from disestablishing the established churches of the seven states that had them in 1787. There is zero evidence that those who adopted the Civil War Amendments intended them to extend the authority of Congress over established religions, nor that those states that ratified them intended that result. The intent was protection of the freed slaves, not involve the Federal government in religious matters.

The conservative position is expressed in the ninth and tenth amendments. It was expressed by the Virginia ratifying delegates:

That those clauses which declare that Congress shall not exercise certain powers be not interpreted in any manner whatsoever to extend the powers of Congress. But that they may be construed either as making exceptions to the specified powers where this shall be the case, or otherwise as inserted merely for greater caution.

Indeed, Hamilton didn’t want any Bill of Rights because, he said, Congress could not do anything not set forth in the enumeration of powers. “Why forbid that which the Congress cannot do?” he asked. Contrast that to the modern interpretations which infer government powers and restrictions from emanations and penumbras of the Constitution.

Showing that Romneycare does not work in Massachusetts is perhaps a supporting argument for the repeal of Obamacare, but since all the candidates are agreed that Obamacare has to go, what’s the point? We are not going to mandate that Massachusetts give up the state’s health care program. That’s their business, not mine, and one part of conservatism is a firm belief in minding one’s own business.

What we need from Senator Santorum is a discussion of his economic plans. What regulations will he get rid of? When? What other Obama laws will he cause to be repealed? These are the important matters. Tell us, Senator, which will you do if you have the power? It’s your turn in the spotlight.

I wrote that this afternoon and didn’t manage to post it. I’ll put it up now and go to bed. I think we are recovering, but it’s a slow energy sapping recovery. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have some gumption. There’s plenty to write about. I just need to be able to think straight.

The radio is telling me that ten states have been “granted” indulgence against meeting the requirements of No Child Left Behind, as if anyone could meet those requirements in any way other than making sure no child gets ahead. Leveling the public education system is a means of creating castes and hereditary rule, of course: if only the children of the ruling class can get a real education, the iron ring is well forged. The waste is enormous and the effect on wealth and growth is enormous.

The simplest improvement to the public school system would be the abolition of the federal Department of Education, turning out everyone in it to find a job. Some of them might even start private schools, but of course most would seek other government work. Once on is accustomed to being an Iron Law bureaucrat, it’s hard to do much else. If the Department of Education is so smart, why are the DC schools so awful? Congress has full authority to use DC as an experimental education system and give it the very best schools the geniuses at the Department of Education can devise.

[The Congress shall have Power] To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States.