


Steve I'm glad to see that you abandoned the preamble thing.  What; did
you do a word search to find Welfare somewhere else in the constitution?

[my comments and paraphrases in brackets]

Article I Section 8:  [in some ways the guts of the constitution]

The Congress shall have the Power:

1. To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, 
       to pay the Debts [indebtedness as defined in the document]
       and provide for the common Defence [Defence as precisely defined]
       and general Welfare [as defined through the document, mostly in ways
                           [that limit the government.]
         of the United States; [but the above taxes shall be uniform through-
                               [out the U.S.]

    [so far the congress has been given the power to collect taxes uniformly]

    [ then ... ]

2.  To borrow Money [...]
3.  To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, [interstate and Indian tribes]
4.  To [do uniform Naturalization and Bankruptcies]
5.  To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and [etc.]
6.  To [punish counterfeiters]
7.  To establish Post Offices and post Roads
8.  To [provide patents and copyrights]
9.  To constitute Tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;
10. To define and punish Piracies and [etc.]
11. To declare War, [and etc.]
12. To raise and support Armies,[but for no longer than two years at a stretch]
13. To provide and maintain a Navy, [notice no time limit on this one]
14. To [make the rules for the army and navy]
15. To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws [etc.]
16. To provide for [training of the army except for some state stuff]
17. To exercise exclusive Legislation [in D.C]
18. To make all Laws [necessary to execute the foregoing "Powers"].

Your original instinct was right.  Looking to other nations for precedents
that support an expansive liberal agenda is much easier than looking to the
slim pickins found in the constitution.
