James Madison Refutes Expansive Reading of the General Welfare Clause
The “general welfare” clause serves as a go-to for people who want the federal government to come in and solve various societal problems. The clause has served as the justification for federal welfare programs, government healthcare, federal meddling in...
“General Welfare” and “Common Defense” Explained by James Madison
The words “provide for the common defense and general welfare” rank among the most abused phrases in the Constitution. I often refer to this as the “anything and everything clause.” Partisans on both the political left and right use...
Constitution 101: To “Provide for the Common Defense”
Many people use the general welfare clause as their “the federal government can do anything and everything clause.” Others have turned the phrase “provide for the common defense” into a similar justification for federal overreach. Progressives tend to invoke the...
What is an “Excise?”
Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the Constitution reads as follows: The Congress shall have Power [1] To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the Common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties,...
