Ron Paul poised to take on the Fed at head of financial subcommittee

[lilyannerose]

No, they do not. They are quite aware of what the preamble states. But they are also aware that the preamble is just that, a preamble; it is neither law nor carries the force of law. It simply states the reason behind establishing the Constitution. The meaning of "the general welfare" and the context in which the federal government is to promote it are "qualified by the detail of powers connected with them," as Madison wrote (i.e., enumerated within the Constitution itself), no less in the very first Article which immediately follows the preamble.

And so, when the Constitution was created, Congress was given power in Article I Section 8 to raise funds for such a purpose:

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to … provide for the … general Welfare of the United States.

This has been understood to mean that the Federal Government can supply $$ to the States and the States in turn are empowered to provide that $$ to the people.

For the preservation of a constitutional republic (and thus the sovereignty and freedom of individuals), you definitely want in power those who are hardcore defenders of the U.S. Constitution.

The Constitution was designed for flexibility and further in order to become a hardcore defender of the Constitution one must be well versed in the intent of the Constitution and frankly most people are not that well versed. One needs to understand the intent of the Congress in it's language and don't lose sight of the fact that language has changed over the courses of the centuries.

So who would redistribute that wealth, and by what authority? If anyone other than me redistributes my wealth, that is theft; and if the government by threat of law, that is tyranny. Philanthropic charity is not delegated to the federal government anywhere in the Constitution; that is the domain of the states, or more appropriately the people. A constitutional republic defies any attempt at a communist democracy, protected by the ramparts of the U.S. Constitution.

I don't care who seizes the wealth for redistribution as long as that redistribution is used to assist the common man out of poverty and ignorance. The rich are just parasites upon the common population and contribute very little to the public good.