Of Bush, African Debt/Foreign Aid, Media Bias, and the Slow Death of the Constitution of these United States

Let's see, a few things are going on:

1.) Bush has decided to forgive African debt.
2.) Additionally, Bush has decided to give even more money from the our Treasury to Africa -- he has tripled foreign aid going to Africa since he took office.
3.) The G8 is proposing a tax on airlines to give more money to poor African countries -- I have not heard whether or not Bush supports this, but the idea to forgive all of the African debt came out of the G8 . . .

Here's what I have to say about this:

The media is out to lunch. No one is bothering to ask Bush where the Constitution gives him the authority to give or tax money away to foreign nations. If Fox News really were Conservative, they would be asking this question. They aren't. Under the Constitution, only Congress can raise money. Only the Congress can allow money to be drawn from the treasury. Presumably, if there is aid money being loaned to African nations, there must be a law allowing it. Does this law also allow the President to give them permission to just keep our money -- the money from the Treasury of these United States? The President is required by the Constitution and by his oath of office to faithfully execute the laws of these United States. If the media really were looking out for us, this is the sort of question we would hear. I don't hear this, though, except from Conservative and Libertarian commentators on the radio -- people who are not asking direct questions of our politicians, asking them to explain themselves.

Why aren't you, the People, more outraged at this? It's your money. It's your Constitution that may have been violated. Maybe you don't know to think about it like this because the mainstream media (MSM) doesn't couch it in those terms. Is Fox News biased? Is CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC/NPR biased? Yes. They all seem to have the same bias -- pro-tyranny. They allow the people in government to do whatever they like without questioning whether or not they are Constitutionally allowed to. We are at a dangerous point in the history of our nation. Those who would enslave us have won a major victory. The idea that the government should stick to the Constitution has been reduced to a point of view. A point of view that, if you pay attention to the MSM, apparently has no greater or lesser weight than other points of view. Think about that for a moment.

The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Oh, really. To states like New York, this is just a point of view, and a loosing one at that. The Supreme Court cites international law to avoid the tenth amendment (allowing states to legislate where the Constitution is silent). Remember the First Amendment? Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. That's out the window . . . Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court completely ignored this one when they passed, signed, and upheld the McCain-Feingold law, which can prohibit people like you and me from running issue ads within 2 months of an election.

Those are some pretty important Amendments, and no one in the MSM cares enough to point out when they are being eroded. Likewise, they never question politicians as to whether what they are doing is Constitutional. If we put our politicians on the spot more, they might be better behaved.

In this case, I don't think the President has the authority to unilaterally give away money from our treasury. Yet no one questions him about it. No one bothers to question the Senate as to why they are not challenging Bush on it.

No, boys and girls, we have one media, and it has one bias. It only looks different on matters not having to do with the Constitution.

Likewise, if the MSM really cared about we, the People, they would be asking questions about whether the Constitution permits Congress to tax the People solely for the benefit of foreign nations. In my thinking, this goes directly against what the Constitution was designed to do.

Here are some relevant clauses in our Constitution:

Article II Section 2 Clause 2: [The President] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur [emphasis added]

Article I Section 8 Clause 1: The Congress shall have 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; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

Article I Section 9 Clause 7: No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

It seems clear that Bush cannot act unilaterally with the public's money. And even if he isn't acting unilaterally, being given authority by a law, that law is unconstitutional, because it is overbroad and constitutes an improper delegation of Congressional authority.

Where is my Republic? I don't see it here. It's hard to misplace something that big. Perhaps someone stole it.
---------Bush pledges $674 million for African causes
---------Bush Meets With 5 African Leaders On Debt Relief
---------G-8 countries to cancel $15-B of Africa's debt
---------G8 wants tax on airline tickets to help world poor

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 11:40 AM

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