Dr. Chris shares his view on the General Welfare Clause. Please see below for the transcript.
Hello. I am Dr. Chris Magiera from Warsaw, Indiana, and I am running for the United States House of Representatives from the 3rd Congressional District of Indiana.
In order to constitutionally legislate, a member of Congress must be aware of the history of our Union and the Constitution. Sadly, today, not many are so inclined. As Founder Patrick Henry said, “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging the future but by the past.”
Career politicians have created the massive Administrative State and have frequently cited as justification the so-called “General Welfare” Clause of Article 1, Section 8: “The Congress shall have the Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.” Does this mean that there is a constitutional justification for income redistribution-based monetary assistance programs for individual citizens or other residents? Absolutely not. At the time of the founding, one of the concerns was that individual States would try to make special deals with the central government or foreign governments, with resulting detriment to the other States. Hence the requirement for legislative actions to be for the “general” welfare of ALL of the United States. And that is “States,” not individuals.
In order to secure the God-given Natural Rights and Liberties of the citizens, the Framers developed a Constitution giving the central government only a few, limited, and enumerated powers (most stated in Article 1, Section 8). However, a number of the Founders, Framers, and Ratifiers realized that there would be a constant temptation for Congress to exceed its limits.
One very prophetic argument was that given by James Madison during the debate of the Cod Fishery Bill in 1792. He said, “If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every state, county, and parish, and pay them out to their public Treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may assume the provision for the poor; they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, everything, from the highest object of State legislation down the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress; for every object I have mentioned would admit of the application of money, and might be called, if Congress please, provisions for the general welfare.” How very prophetic indeed!
I submit that what Madison feared, is what we have today. But do not despair. There is a solution, and that is the Constitution Solution. If elected to Congress as the Representative from the 3rd Congressional District of Indiana, I pledge to constitutionally legislate, 100% of the time, not delegate, so you don’t have to litigate, to reclaim your God-given Natural Rights and Liberties. So, in 2020, I urge you to vote for the solution of the Founders. Vote for the Constitution. Vote for Dr. Chris Magiera for Congress. Thank you.