Constitutional Awakening

Today's trivia question: does the Constitution of the United States require a declaration of war by Congress before the president can attack another country?

Short answer: yes

Longer reasoning:
In "Federalist" #69, Hamilton says the American president has LESS power than an English King in that he CANNOT decide to wage war on his own, He must have a declaration of war from Congress. THEY decide whether the nation goes to war.

The power of the president is "nothing more than the supreme command and direction of the military and naval forces . . . while that of the British king extends to the declaring of war and to the raising and regulating of fleets and armies-- all which, by the Constitution under consideration, would appertain to the legislature."

Of course this is just one more example of a broken American Constitution. The last war declared by the United States was 1941 (WW2 after Pearl Harbor.)

The "modern" theory is that Congress "delegates" its authority to the president and America's state of near-permanent endless wars has resulted. Perhaps suitable for an empire, but not a republic.

This isn't just a "delegation" of war-declaring, but of law-making itself. The power to regulate all things and impose tariffs arbitrarily. It results in an unelected "administrative state" (Wilson's term for the "deep state") and we are long way from fixing it.

Elephants notice only donkey presidents with too much power and donkeys notice only excessive powers in elephant presidents.

It is bad enough to concentrate government power in one imperial city, and damnably worse beyond foolhardy to put all the power into one person. There was a time the American people fully understood this and elected only those who followed it to the letter. No more. It will only be fixed when the people stop electing those who break it.

That's me in the background in Jefferson City speaking at a hearing on behalf of HB1948, a modest sales tax cut.

I fear I was a bit "fed up" by the time I reached the mic and ranted more than these folks are accustomed. The usual practice in addressing our overlords is sycophantic.

I am sick of this regressive taxation hypocrisy in BOTH parties. Elephants LOVE a tax cut UNTIL it helps the bottom half more than the rich. Donkeys love the poor UNTIL it cuts their taxes and hurts the government they love FAR more.

We have a disgusting government class that is blind to the obvious: it makes NO sense to TAX people only to give them their own money back. I say it makes no sense UNLESS you want the power over others to control their lives.

Sadly, I told them this to their faces. That is a faux pas.
Please call and apologize on my behalf. They will appreciate it.
Or call and tell them to pass HB1948 because you are as pi**ed as I am.

No MO Sales Tax co-founders, Ken Newhouse & Lloyd Sloan, are ready to testify in favor of our sales tax cut, HB 1948 this morning.

The bill is being heard before the Ways & Means Committee in the Missouri House of Representatives.