Franklin Pierce (yes, he was a president) Was Right

I know that Franklin Pierce is not generally regarded as one of our finer presidents - actually, I'm guessing most people couldn't even start to guess what number he was (14th). But I think his comments in an article in this morning's Chattanooga Times-FreePress were rather apropos. Actually, it wasn't so much an article as a slideshow that showed various healthcare bills and proposals that have been passed (or rejected) by Congress over the decades. You can see it here. It's an interesting look at how healthcare has been an issue since even the early 19th century, and has been a platform for both Democrats AND Republicans. Of course, one need only look at Abraham Lincoln to see that not all Republicans are in favor of small government. But Lincoln is a topic for another day.

Back to Pierce. After vetoing a proposed national mental health bill in 1854, he said it would be unconstitutional to regard health as anything but a private matter, and something in which government should not become involved. He then challenged Congress as to where the line would be drawn if the government were to indeed start to meddle in the people's health concerns. "I can not find any authority in the Constitution for making the Federal Government the great almoner of public charity throughout the United States," he wrote in his veto letter. If only we had somebody with his mental capacity - or at the very least, reverence for the Constitution - in the Oval Office today.  

The Constitution, in fact, was written for a collection of states that all had the autonomy to govern their people as they saw fit. It was only through the Civil War that Lincoln succeeded in his (un-Constitutional) goal to centralize the federal government and strip power from the individual states (is it any wonder Obama idolizes the "founder" of the modern Republican party?). On Sunday night, the traditional southern states (plus Kentucky, Missouri, and Oklahoma) left no doubt whether they wanted to bear the burden of this healthcare bill. Of the sixteen, the bill was voted down by their representatives 104 - 44. Under the auspices of the Constitution, we southerners should be able to opt out of the federal bill. Try getting Washington to agree with that though.

Liberals will argue that the Constitution is out-dated, or is a "living" document that is supposed to "change with our times". I'll argue that most liberals are idiots and horse's asses.