Liberty Maven

Yesterday in Congress, fifty-four new bills were introduced.  Due to recent controversy, and for those who start reading this series of articles in the middle, I will include the following boilerplate information in every article.

When taking a look at the list below, keep in mind that the U.S. Constitution, which created our Federal Government, clearly enumerated 18 specific functions that it is given.  For all other things, the 9th and 10th amendment make it clear that the individual states have the power.  Note that it states in the Constitution that it is the Supreme Law of the Land, which can be usurped by no other.  This means that all opinions to the contrary made by the Supreme Court are technically invalid.  Throughout the past couple of hundred hears the Supreme Court has rule one way or another on some “interpretation” of the Constitution, but in fact no interpretation is necessary, as the intention of the founding fathers are quite clear.  For example, if the “general welfare” clause or the “interstate commerce” clause was intended to be used as a catch-all for any arbitrary piece of legislation, then the 10th amendments which reads:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

would be completely meaningless.  So simple logic, in addition to the writings of Madison and other founding fathers, dictates the notion that the Federal Government was set up to have very little power, and that these United States are intended to be a loose federation of sovereign states.

Only due to politician’s greed and overwhelming desire for power does the Constitution get relegated to the trash heap.

So, despite the  noble intentions of many of these bills, it doesn’t mean they are legal.

Of the bills introduced yesterday, these are ones that are clearly not legitimate functions of the Federal Government  [as always, my commentary will appear in red]:

• S-753 – A bill to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution in commerce of children’s food and beverage containers composed of bisphenol A, and for other purposes.  [What's the purpose of this?  There's already S-593.  See my comments here about this issue.]
• S-754 – A bill to provide for increased Federal oversight of methadone treatment/
• HR308 – Honoring the life, legacy, and memory of Pedro Pablo Zamora y Diaz, an extraordinary educator and activist, and a pioneer in the battle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
• HR309 – Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that North Korea should immediately stop any hostile rhetoric and activity towards the Republic of Korea and engage in mutual dialogue to enhance inter-Korean relations.
• HR310 – Honoring the life of Coach Kay Yow in remembrance of her passing, and recognizing her dedication to the sport of basketball, her commitment to women and women’s health, and her contributions to the State of North Carolina.

• S-755 – A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Cancer Institute to make grants for the discovery and validation of biomarkers for use in risk stratification for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer.
• S-756 – A bill to provide for prostate cancer imaging research and education
• S-757 – A bill to amend the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to expand the category of individuals eligible for compensation, to improve the procedures for providing compensation, and to improve transparency, and for other purposes.
• SCR15 – A concurrent resolution commending the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Arkansas National Guard upon its completion of a second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• HR1806 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide incentives to encourage investment in the expansion of freight rail infrastructure capacity and to enhance modal tax equity.
• HR1807 – To provide distance learning to potential and existing entrepreneurs, and for other purposes.
• HR1808 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for consumer rebates for purchases of certain new passenger motor vehicles.
• HR1809 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to expand the geographical coverage of TRICARE Prime to include Puerto Rico and Guam.
• HR1810 – To open Federal Bureau of Land Management and National Forest lands to leasing for exploration, development, and production of oil shale resources, and for other purposes.
• HR1811 – To authorize the President to review and approve oil and gas exploration, development, and production projects under existing Federal oil and gas leases, both onshore and offshore, and to limit administrative and judicial proceedings with respect to such projects, upon finding that such a project complies with all applicable Federal laws, and for other purposes.  [The Congress is authorizing the president to do something?  What gives either of them the right to do it in the first place?  Certainly not the supreme law of the land, the Constitution.]
• HR1812 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reduce the recovery periods for certain energy production and distribution facilities.
• HR1813 – To terminate or provide for suspension of the application of Federal laws that restrict exploration, development, or production of oil, gas, or oil shale, to facilitate the construction of new crude oil refineries, and for other purposes.
• HR1814 – To amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to extend the discretionary spending limits through fiscal year 2014, to extend paygo for direct spending, and for other purposes.  [What a travesty.  It's considered tyranny when a controlling body can remove limits on themselves.]
• HR1815 – To clarify the applicability of certain provisions in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, and for other purposes.
• HR1816 – To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Cancer Institute to make grants for the discovery and validation of biomarkers for use in risk stratification for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer.
• HR1819 – To amend the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 to extend the interoperable emergency communications grant program through fiscal year 2012.
• HR1820 – To redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2777 Logan Avenue in San Diego, California, as the “Cesar E. Chavez Post Office”.
• HR1821 – To amend chapter 31 of title 38, United States Code, to increase vocational rehabilitation and employment assistance, and for other purposes.
• HR1822 – To prohibit discrimination against the unborn on the basis of sex or race, and for other purposes.  [As if a law could prevent discrimination!]
• HR1824 – To provide assistance to Best Buddies to support the expansion and development of mentoring programs, and for other purposes.
• HR1828 – To amend the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to expand the category of individuals eligible for compensation, to improve the procedures for providing compensation, and to improve transparency, and for other purposes.
• HR1829 – To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to authorize physical therapists to evaluate and treat Medicare beneficiaries without a requirement for a physician referral, and for other purposes.
• HR1832 – To amend part D of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to limit the increase in premium costs for beneficiaries under the Medicare prescription drug program to no more than the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, and to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.
• HJR42 – Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to parental rights.  [Well now, this one sounds interesting.  I like the overall intent of this Constitutional amendment, but I'm not so sure about the qualification noted in Section 2, which I'm sure would be used for any violation of the intent of this amendment.  Anyway, since when are any of our rights respected?]
• HR311 – Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the goals and ideals of Red Cross Month.
• HR302 – Honoring and recognizing the life and achievements of John Hope Franklin, one of the Nation’s most distinguished scholars.
• SR92 – A resolution honoring the accomplishments and legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez
• SR93 – A bill supporting the mission and goals of 2009 National Crime Victim’s Rights Week, to increase public awareness of the rights, needs, and concerns of victims and survivors of crime in the United States, and to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984.
• HR1817 – To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 116 North West Street in Somerville, Tennessee, as the “John S. Wilder Post Office Building”.
• HR1827 – To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for the establishment of a flexibility incentive grant program.
• S-745 – A bill to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Magna Water District water reuse and groundwater recharge project, and for other purposes.
• S-746 – A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national cemetery in the Sarpy County region to serve veterans in eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, and northwest Missouri.  [It's one thing to support our veterans, but if you look at the deluge of constant bills introduced every day in support of veteran's benefits and services, it's clear it's getting out of control.  At some point, enough is enough...]
• S-748 – A bill to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2777 Logan Avenue in San Diego, California, as the “Cesar E. Chavez Post Office”.
• S-749 – A bill to improve and expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students in the United States by improving professional development programs for kindergarten through grade 12 teachers offered through institutions of higher education.
• S-750 – A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to attract and retain trained health care professionals and direct care workers dedicated to providing quality care to the growing population of older Americans.

Each bill introduced takes countless hours to be drafted, typed up, disseminated, put through the various stages of the process, all costing time and money.  So even if the bill seems minor, such as SR85 (”Congratulating…”), it costs you money.  Do you want your tax dollars being spent on this stuff?

Please take a couple of minutes out of your day to contact your representatives via telephone simply to tell them that you support or oppose a particular bill.  It’ll most likely take you less than two minutes, and it’s so very important that we stand up to our increasingly tyrannical government.

If you don’t know who your Senators are, or how to contact them, click here to found out.

If you don’t know who your Representatives are, or how to contact them, click here to find out.