P.J. O'Rourke Doesn't Know the Constitution

May 19, 2011 A.D.

P.J. O'Rourke tries to take down Congressman Ron Paul for not knowing the Constitution (Salon).

But it is PJ pajama man who doesn't know it. PJ says that the bill to fund health care for the merchant marines (coming out of the 5th congress) is proof that health care is a lawful power of the federal government.

This is simply ridiculous. The merchant marines were around during the War of Independence before the navy or the coast guard were formed (Wikipedia). They provided military service before the US government or the Constitution was established and they reaped the just rewards which would one day be covered by the Constitution itself as a legitimate power of the Federal government by the enumerated power of the congress to raise an army and navy.

There is NO enumerated power to fund health care for people not serving in military roles. The funding power derives from the enumerated power to raise armies as covered in Article One Section Eight of the Constitution. And all veterans are already covered. So there are no other people left to cover since only SOME people are veterans.

If O'Rourke would like all Americans to sign up to capture pirates and serve in military roles on the high seas (including babies, toddlers, and old women) then he can claim to be following the lead of the Founders.

Rick Unger at Forbes points out that money was docked from the pay of the marines. In the commie fantasy O'Rourke envisions everyone gets government health care even before they ever earn a paycheck or serve in the military. Or maybe we should all be destined to be Spartans and just presume everyone will be in the military?

The previous article by Unger, which outlines how this first "health care" legislative act snow-balled into more and more health care programs which went beyond veterans' health care proves the theory of the slippery slope should be removed from the list of logical fallacies, because slopes are always slippery and should always be anticipated. And the merchant marine health care act has been very slippery. Unger says so in more ways than one. But instead of condemning the unlawful expansion of the original act Unger appears to cheer it on.

And if PJ is correct then why didn't the founders have free medical care too? And why not their wives? Or their children? And so forth? Hmmm????? Gee, it is mighty suspicious that we don't find such a thing for the public in general until the 20th century.

If the government wants to follow the lead of the early congress then they can take care of military vets who serve this country now and need medical care.

Oh wait. They already do that. It has been done since the government took care of the merchant marines who engaged in warfare on behalf of the new states of America.

O'Rourke is a nitwit who successfully earned a lot of money for it. Frankly, I thought the guy fell off the planet long ago. He must be an old buzzard by now and his lack of reasoning suggests he might be flying into windows more often these days.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Merchant_Marine

http://open.salon.com/blog/paul_j_orourke/2011/05/17/ron_paul_says_founders_ignorant_of_constitution


http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/01/21/thomas-jefferson-also-supported-government-run-health-care/

http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/01/17/congress-passes-socialized-medicine-and-mandates-health-insurance-in-1798/