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

[Ryft]

This has been understood to mean that the federal government can ...

There are specific things regarding paying the "debts" and providing "for the common defence and general welfare of the United States" that Congress is empowered to appropriate federal tax revenue for. What are they? Hint: not a single one of them include redistributing anyone's wealth for philanthropic charity. You want to change that? The Constitution provides for an amendment process. Go for it (and good luck with that).

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.

Agreed. But what does that have to do with Ron Paul, or even myself as one of those hardcore defenders of the Constitution?

And don't lose sight of the fact that language has changed over the course of the centuries.

Irrelevant. The U.S. Constitution was written according to what the words meant back then, by people who were incapable of knowing what the words would mean over 200 years later.

I don't care who seizes the wealth for redistribution ...

So you are comfortable with tyranny. Good to know.