Federal Government Overreach

In the U.S., our Federal Government has reached well beyond it's original mandate as established by the constitution. Article 1 of the Constitution established that Congress was to make laws at the Federal level. Section 8 of Article 1 went on to enumerate what specifically the Federal Government had authority over. Here's the list:

1. Levy taxes to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare.
2. To borrow money in the form of debt obligations.
3. To regulate commerce internationally, among the states and with Indian tribes.
4. To establish uniform rules of naturalization and bankruptcy.
5. To issue currency, establish a common system of weight and measures.
6. Establish punishment for counterfeiting money.
7. To establish a postal system.
8. To establish a system for protecting copyrights and patents.
9. To create a lower court system under the Supreme Court.
10. To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high Seas, and offenses against the Law of Nations.
11. To wage war and establish rules concerning captures on land and sea.
12. To raise and support an army.
13. To raise and support a navy.
14. To establish rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces.
15. To provide for calling forth a militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel Invasions.
16. To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining a militia while reserving to the States, the appointment of officers, and the authority of training the militia.
17. To establish a seat for the federal government, i.e. the District of Columbia.
18. To make laws necessary to execute the listed powers.

That's it. That's what the constitution empowered the Federal Government to be, nothing more. All other aspects of life were left to the states and the individuals within the federation.

The states within the U.S. were intended to be cradles or experiments of democracy in which different political systems could be tried or evaluated. These powers given to the federal government were simply viewed as those powers needed to hold the Federation together. The majority of governmental power over our lives was intended to be at the state and local levels, not the federal level.

One thing that should be pointed out. While Congress was given the power to tax to support the general welfare, it was not given the power to implement laws defining the general welfare of the country. With this thought, things like environmental protections through the EPA, a national right to carry a concealed weapon, a national retirement system (Social Security), federal regulations on education, and a federal system providing free healthcare or education would all be unconstitutional.

I'm sure others can come up with a host of other areas the federal government is involved in unconstitutionally. Here I simply wanted to put forward the idea of how far our federal government has overreached it's original Constitutional definition.