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John Wright's avatar

Have you considered a career as a teacher? Our students could use such education. (Wouldn't hurt to go over this with every person in the USA, including our politicians.)

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chad's avatar

Thanks. Kinda what I’m trying to do here on substack. 😏

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John Wright's avatar

Yes and I love it! Have you read "Land of Hope" by Wilfred McClay?

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chad's avatar

I have not. What’s it about?

Back to your teaching comment, I have taught, but the teaching I’ve done is Sunday morning Bible study (which, if I’m being honest, I find far more important). I’ve just become more political over the past several years and am fascinated with what I never learned (or was improperly taught) in school about America and the way our government is supposed to operate.

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John Wright's avatar

"Land of Hope" (apparently there is both an adult version and a "young readers" version) gives the history of the establishment of the USA. I bought the (Vol 1) "young readers" version for my Granddaughters. I started reading it and very much enjoyed the "history lesson".

I'm a huge fan of making reading "easy" for everyone.

Like you, over the past five years I've become fascinated with studying much which wasn't taught in school or at least school gave a simplistic view. We seem to be on the same "mission". I've grown to love Hillsdale College!

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chad's avatar

I too love Hillsdale. They have some excellent courses.

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MichaelH: Storyteller's avatar

What is being taught in the public school systems today are deliberately leftist leaning. It is all a part of the indoctrination scheme.

A large number of those on the extreme left are Marxists. They have followed the plans for a "war" of attrition laid out by Marx. They found their way into the political structure and are doing everything possible to tear the country down from within. It started, I believe, with the education system. They have turned lessons taught from being PROUD of our American ways to being ashamed of our past, neglecting to recognize the strides made since our founding. And the fact that there are MANY countries in the world TODAY that are involved in some of the most heinous practices imaginable.

Civics and American history were replaced with "social studies" and WORLD history (history the version THEY choose to tell, not necessarily REAL history.)

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Lita's avatar

I thank you for all the work you put in to clarify this subject. This has simplified & helped me to understand what our forefathers intent was for this great country. God bless America!

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chad's avatar

Thank you Lita.

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Rightful Freedom's avatar

The most important part of the Constitution regarding the powers of Congress is Article 1, Section 1. And it is Article 1, Section 1 for a reason!

The powers of Congress are intended to be greater than those of the other branches. Article 1, Section 1 is this:

“All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”

Congress, and only Congress, has the power to create laws. This means that all the laws created by the executive branch "Administrative State" are illegal. Those people have no power to create laws. It means that all "legislating from the bench" done by the Supreme Court and other federal courts is illegal. The courts have no power to create laws.

The unelected bureaucrats, and to some extent also the unelected federal judges, create thousands of rules and rulings which for all intents and purposes, have all the power of laws. All of those rules and rulings are illegal. Only Congress can legally create laws.

If the United States were really governed by the US Constitution, we would have a completely different system than the one we have.

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Liz LaSorte's avatar

1000%!

I've been scratching my head what general Welfare means (lower case g, upper case W). But, like the 14th amendment and birthright citizenship, clearly it needs to be better defined. Our founders knew that the government should never be involved in charity of any kind - it is ripe for the abuse of human nature being self-serving.

Even Alexander Hamilton knew that, and I say to Hamilton: Get in the Ring! https://lizlasorte.substack.com/p/get-in-the-ring-thomas-jefferson?r=76q58

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chad's avatar

I wouldn't put too much stock in the capitalization. If you look at the Constitution, it was general practice to capitalize Nouns (pretty much every Noun in the Constitution is capitalized).

That said, the general welfare clause is abused by Congress and used as justification for most of the legislation they write. But the founders (in my reading and estimation) never intended the central/general/federal government to be all-powerful or overarching. We are 50 sovereign states united for defense and foreign affairs, not so that we can all have exactly the same rules to follow, can all pay in to provide for those who don't have across the country (or across the world), or for one to use the others to fund its failed fantasies.

Madison also knew that government was not to be involved in charity, stating: "Charity is no part of the legislative duty of government."

One of my favorite stories to illustrate this relates the encounter of Davy Crockett with a constituent named (in the story) Horatio Bunce. It is called "Not Yours to Give," and can be found here: https://fee.org/resources/not-your-to-give/

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sean anderson's avatar

I just read this and it is a very precise elucidation of what the should be proper scope of action and what should be the proper objects of the general government.

In a future article (maybe labeled “American Government for Dummies, part II.) you can explain the idea of federalism and show how the limitations upon the powers of the national government still allow the people and government of each single state greater latitude to exercise such additional government powers as the people and government of each sovereign state may see fit to enact.

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MichaelH: Storyteller's avatar

Sadly, there are too many who are lazy or actually too stupid to grasp the simplicity of our system of government. There are some who insist that for a country as large as ours, there MUST be this monstrosity of a government to make it work. The believe that complicating things HAS to be done for all the cogs to fall into place when the exact opposite is what we have now. A vast number of those who resist the simple way of running things were taught to be that way from the earliest stages of their development. Undoing that damage or reeducating the masses is going to be an incredible undertaking, if it is possible at all.

I am praying that the creation of D.O.G.E will bring us closer to where our founders intended. And administrations and representatives to come will continue to trim the fat from the bureaucracy that overpowers us and smothers us on a daily basis. But, I'm not going to hold my breath. I will most likely turn a deeeeeep shade of purple waiting.

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David L. Kendall's avatar

Bravo! Sadly enough, those who most need to read this article will never see it. I reposted, which is the best I can do.

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chad's avatar

Thank you David!!!

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Susan Taapken's avatar

That you for the clarification, Chad.

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chad's avatar

Thank you Susan. Even with pieces like that, I still get pushback. Have you seen the follow-up?

https://open.substack.com/pub/curetsky/p/few-and-defined?r=xb9l8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

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Susan Taapken's avatar

Thank you Chad. Perhaps this is why President Trump has said that the state government was responsible. It was a reminder to the people.

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