...but there's still a hole in it big enough to drive a B-52 through:
Six weeks before midterm elections, House Republicans vowed to cut taxes and federal spending, repeal President Barack Obama's health care law and ban federal funding of abortion as part of a campaign manifesto designed to propel them to victory in November and a majority in the next Congress.
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It calls for every bill to cite its specific constitutional authority, a vote on any government regulation that costs more than $100 million annually and a freeze on hiring federal workers except security personnel. It also has a "read the bill" provision mandating that legislation be publicly available for three days before a vote.Specific constitutional authority. How has pretty much everything the government does been Constitutionally justified by those who promote big, activist government? Thaaat's right...the general welfare clause and the commerce clause. Of course you might remember that the feds got their pee-pees smacked by the Supreme Court with U.S. v. Lopez, but as we see it hasn't slowed them down much if at all. It'd be fun to see, well, pretty much every government employee attempt to justify his or her job -- and every senator and representative attempt to justify each bill he or she introduces -- by citing specifically which part of the Constitution authorizes it other than the above-cited clauses. Hell, if nothing else it'd slow things down.
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