News from Saginaw County Republicans

As a recent article by Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina shows, there are still a few people in Washington who understand our Constitution. Below are some excerpts from an article he wrote back in June. You can also read the full article on his website.

"When a reporter asked House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) during a press conference last year where the Constitution granted Congress the authority to enact an individual health-insurance mandate, she answered, "Are you serious? Are you serious?" Speaker Pelosi then dismissed the question and moved on to the next reporter.

This exchange illustrates the way "yes we can" liberals treat the Constitution: They simply ignore it when it gets in the way of their big-government bailouts and takeovers.

The Constitution is full of no's. It is by telling the government what it cannot do that the Constitution protects our freedoms. The Founders loathed tyranny and sought to erect a government ruled by law, not people. As Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense, "in America the law is king."

The First Amendment says that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" or abridging freedom of speech, freedom of the press, or the right to assemble and petition government. The Fifth Amendment says that the government cannot deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process, and that private property cannot be taken without just compensation. The Eighth Amendment says no to excessive bail and fines, and the Tenth Amendment says powers not explicitly given to the federal government in the Constitution go to the states or the people. The Bill of Rights says no to the federal government over and over again.

Using the Constitution's amendment-making process, Americans have added even more no's over the years: The 13th Amendment says no to slavery; the 15th and 19th Amendments say no one can be denied the right to vote based on race or sex.

Every clause of Article 1, Section 9, which is all about the limits on Congress, contains the words "no" or "shall not.""

Senator DeMint also notes that, "...the Obama White House has grabbed power in defiance of the Constitution." President Obama's czars, appointed to manage major areas of national policy, wield a tremendous amount of influence. But they can't be subjected to congressional oversight, defeating the constitutionally established process of "advise and consent."

"Thanks to President Obama, every American will soon be required to buy Washington-approved health insurance. This is the first time Congress has used its power to make an individual person purchase something from a private company for no other reason than that the citizen is alive. This flies in the face of the Constitution.

If President Obama's motto is "Yes, we can," the Constitution's is "No, you can't." Obama may have once been a constitutional scholar, but he's no constitutionalist.

Although the Constitution does give some defined powers to the federal government, it is overwhelmingly a document of limits, and those limits must be respected. That's why it's more important than ever for Republicans to say no. We are standing against a long progressive effort to transform the country.

If Republicans want to protect the Constitution and ensure our nation's survival as the beacon of liberty, "No" is an answer we are obligated to give and to proudly defend.

In the era of unlimited government, saying no is an act of patriotism, and being a member of the "party of no" should be a badge of honor"