The Republican misled Congress has not laid any taxes to provide
for anything, much less for the general welfare of the people,…
It is curious that although every Republican in
Congress takes an oath of office to support the Constitution, not one of
them adheres to the primary job description that document very plainly
informs is the only reason they serve. Article I, Section 8 of the
Constitution says, “The
Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and
excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and
general welfare of the United States.” Later in the same section it says that members of Congress shall “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States.”
Now, nowhere in Section 8 does it say that Congress
shall work for the Koch brothers and their dirty fossil fuel industry, a
foreign corporation, a fanatical religion, or a foreign head of state;
and yet Republicans have spent the whole of 2015 serving those four
special interests exclusively. The Republican misled Congress has
not laid any taxes to provide for anything, much less for the general
welfare of the people, and they have not made any laws to provide for
the people’s general welfare. They have however, as their first action
on taking control of the Legislative Branch in January 2015, served the
religious right by attacking women’s reproductive rights.
According to McConnell, attacking American women’s reproductive health was crucial
because “there’s no reason our constituents should be kept from
having their voices heard on this (religious) issue in the Senate. I
look forward to the Senate passing similar (religious) legislation to
the House in this Congress.” True to his pledge to religious extremists, the newly empowered congressional Republicans introduced no less than five separate
bills restricting women’s reproductive rights within the first couple
of days of the new legislative session. It is worth reiterating that
there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution tasking members of Congress
with “making laws for 'christian' fanatics;” particularly when those laws have absolutely nothing to do with “paying the debts and providing for the common defense and general welfare” of the people.
The next special interest(s) Republicans served
instead of the general welfare of the people was a foreign corporation.
It did not take Republican very long at all to pass inherently unconstitutional
legislation that sought to supersede the Executive Branch’s authority
by attempting to grant a State Department construction permit to a
foreign corporation even though the Department is part of the Executive
branch. The foreigners leading TransCanada tasked congressional
Republicans to approve building a pipeline carrying dangerous toxins to
the Gulf of Mexico, and with complete disregard for the American people
Republicans complied; the head of the Executive Branch, President Obama,
did not.
By now any semi-conscious American is
aware that the Keystone XL pipeline offers nothing for the general
welfare of the people and poses an existential threat to the
environment. The foreign pipeline will profit the oil industry, a
foreign corporation, Boehner and the Koch
brothers, but it does nothing for the people. There is nothing in
Article 1, Section 8 tasking members of Congress with the duty to pass
unconstitutional legislation to provide profits for a foreign
corporation. Republicans love foreigners, and working diligently for the
general welfare of foreign profits is nearly as important to
Republicans as working for a foreigner crusading for Americans to fight
and die in another Middle East war.
Republicans spent, and are still spending, an
obscene amount of taxpayer time and money serving the interests of
Israel and its warmonger leader Netanyahu. Republicans even
invited the foreigner to address a joint session of Congress to lobby
for support to thwart an international agreement with Iran to prevent
war. Instead of spending any time passing legislation to provide for the
general welfare of the people, a group of Republicans sent a message to
America’s so-called “enemies” pledging that as members of the United
States Congress they intended to do exactly as the foreigner Netanyahu
ordered; pass legislation stopping the United Nation’s P5+1 agreement to
start a war with Iran. As with the other special interests Republicans
serve, there is nothing in the Constitution defining Congress’ duty as
working for a foreign government in opposition of the United States of
America. There is, however, plenty in the U.S. Code defining what Republicans did as sedition; but Republicans are predominately white and above the law.
Although the Koch brothers stand to profit
handsomely if Republicans had succeeded in their congressional service
to the foreigners in Canada and Israel, their real reward is the
Republican war against environmental regulations and attempts to combat
anthropogenic climate change. Although Republicans certainly did not
campaign in the midterms on eliminating environmental protections
ensuring Americans have clean air and water, it has been as important a
task to them as serving foreigners and religious extremists. The only
beneficiaries of Republican attacks on environmental regulations are the
Koch brothers, and like serving the foreigners and the religious, there
is nothing in the Constitution about Congress working to provide
greater profits for two wealthy oil magnates.
The apropos question every American should be asking
Republicans, especially those seeking the party’s presidential
nomination is; exactly what have Republicans done for the general
welfare of the people since the Koch brothers bought them control of
Congress? Surely attacking women’s reproductive rights is not going to
grow the economy, create jobs, or provide clean air and water for the
people, any more than working diligently for a foreign corporation and
foreign head of state’s war efforts. However, Republicans have done
nothing else whatsoever since they took control of the Legislative
branch and it is an epic mystery why Americans are not outraged and
taking to the streets. It is also curious that when Republicans are not
working for foreigners, the Kochs, and the religio-wingnuts, they are working
against the best interests, and general welfare of the American people
and the people are not taking to the streets seeking retribution.
If Americans were not so stupid and complacent, one
might think they would stop and think about how Republicans attacking
women’s reproductive rights, working for foreigners, and doing the
bidding of billionaires is in any way, shape, or form laying and
collecting taxes to pay debts and provide for the common defense and
general welfare of the American people. That is the job the U.S.
Constitution says members of Congress are supposed to be doing and yet
Republicans have remained laser-focused and dedicated to working solely
for foreigners, the Kochs and religious extremists. It is yet another
ongoing sign that regardless of who controls the Legislative branch of
government, if Republicans cannot adequately serve the interests of
their foreign, wealthy, and religious masters they will obstruct honest
efforts to provide for the general welfare of the American people;
because Republicans hate the American people as much as they love their
foreigners, the Koch brothers, and religious extremists.
