I am not sure what Article I, Section 8, Clause 12 of the Constitution has to do with my argument.
Defense is definitely a constitutionally mandated function of the federal government. That clause deals with spending money on the army in the year appropriated.
In the two centuries since the Constitution was written, technological progress has created a need to appropriate programs differently and over longer periods.
Just because one clause of the Constitution may need updating does not mean we should ignore the plain meaning of the rest.
Unlike technology, people are pretty much the same as they were 200 odd years ago. The only difference is that today they are not as self-reliant and resilient and are far more lazy and complacent.
Just as they had no right in 1789 to a share of another man’s earnings, they still do not today.
But we pretend they do. We allow the progressives to steal from us and buy the votes of the less successful with our money.
I do not see how I can ever accept the fact that someone has the right to extort my money or personally benefit from my work without my consent.
Bill Gilmer
Fayetteville, Ga.
