Quote:
Originally Posted by dksuddeth
Bullshit. It appears i'm not the one misunderstanding what the constitution is.
The constitution is not a set of 'guidelines', though it has been taken to mean that ever since the civil war. The constitution enumerates very specific and limited powers to the federal government with instructions on how to maintain the bodies of that new government. The laws that come after it prescribed punishments for violations of those powers.
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My point is, how could you possibly enforce it without the laws that came to flesh it out? The Constitution and the body of law are different creatures. I agree that in some places the constitution is quite specific (the 14th is a good example of specificity, the 13th is a good example of a general principle that explicitly calls for a fleshing-out by the Congress). You can't just say, "We've got a Constitution--so who needs laws? Giddy up!"
There's nothing preventing the Congress from enacting unconstitutional laws, by the way. It's the job of the Supreme Court to weed those out when a case that applies that law is brought before them.
Listening to right-leaning Libertarian rhetoric is no replacement for having stayed awake in Civics class, my friend.