Conservative Uses for the New Commerce Clause

Congressional Democrats, Obama, and his Justice Department claim to find in the Constitution's commerce clause the authorization to force people to engage in commercial actions like buying health insurance the majority deems to benefit others.  Never mind, they say, that the far-reaching consequences of this New Commerce Clause would include completely negating all constitutional restrictions on the powers of the Federal government.

However, before conservatives take up pitchforks to attack that constitutional interpretation, and before liberals take to the barricades to defend it, both should consider how it might be used against its defenders.

How then might a conservative majority wield such a power to force commercial behavior they think right and proper?  Here are

The Top Ten Conservative Uses for the New Commerce Clause

State of the Union Addresses

If you didn't listen to Paul Ryan's State of the Union address... er... Republican response, I encourage you to watch the video here -- it is well worth your time at just under 11 minutes -- or read the transcript here.  It is perhaps the most honest and straightforward policy address you will ever be privileged to hear or read.

Michelle Bachman's Tea Party Express response was more theatrical but truthful and informative.  Her video is here -- just under 7 minutes -- and her transcript here.

The Prince of Progressivism's address, touting every crazy government patronage scheme the leftists didn't get into the first two years of running the economy into the ground -- a  63 minute video here replete with Joe Biden mugging for the camera and atmospheric references to Sputnik -- can and should be ignored.

Wimpy Words Won't Win

Tony Blankley pokes the Republican establishment again here, taking on the notion -- lately offered by the Wall Street Journal itself here -- that all the Republican House can do is frame the 2012 issues battle, and that they should not attempt any cuts to the deficit-driving entitlements of Medicare and Social Security.

He recommends that Republicans, to use Admiral Lord Nelson's phrase, "Go right at 'em."   Nelson, you surely know, divided his smaller fleet and crossed the Spanish and French line to decisive effect at the Battle of Trafalgar, ensuring a victory that ushered in a century of naval supremacy for Britain.

The Second Great Lie

Whenever a bond issue comes up for a vote, someone in favor of the spending is likely to say "Vote for this.  Your taxes won't go up."  It's the second great lie of political discourse.

A fiscal conservative should always reply, "That's just plain wrong.  Taxes will be higher if this bond issue passes than if it does not.  And that's all that matters."

Is This the End of the World?

Here is a piece from The New Republic on why the media botched the story on the Tucson shootings.

There's a sentence I bet you never thought you'd read from me.  I certainly never expected to write favorably about any story from The New Republic, and particularly not one about the media botching a story by following the leftist meme.  Nevertheless, there it is.

What's the world coming to?

Sheriff Bart Richardson

For the last couple of weeks as New Mexico governor and publicity hound Billy (The Scuzzball) Richardson's term wound down toward midnight December 31, the nation hung on every press release as he considered a pardon for Henry (Billy the Kid) McCarty .

Early on the morning of the last day of his term, The Scuzzball went on Good Morning America to announce his decision -- drum roll please! -- to NOT do it.

All in all, his ploy reminds me of the escape scene in Blazing Saddles.  Something like "Next man makes a move to ignore me and the Governor GETS it...."

Robber Bar... Er... Bureaucrats

Josh Barro and E.J. McMahon point out in this NY Post article that state and local pension benefits are generally twice as large as private sector pension benefits. 

The productive loss to the economy caused by these high benefits is best exemplified by the whiny response from government union members: "I wouldn't have taken this job if I hadn't been promised that generous retirement."

By enticing people into the government and out of the private sector we lose any capacity their labor might have to meet the individual needs and desires of consumers, however modest that might be!

Of course, we also gain the interference with the private sector of too many regulators with too much power and too much time on their hands.  After all, what else have they to do except perhaps while away the time till retirement, calculating and recalculating their benefits and ways to increase them.