Political Quotes

“I thank Mr. Graves for leading the floor tonight on this very important matter. He joins me, I'm sure, in saying that we're all extremely disappointed that we have to come to the floor tonight and that the Supreme Court ruled today that the Commerce Clause does not support the individual mandate, but it may be upheld within Congress's power to lay and collect taxes. So what we have found today is that Congress cannot use the Commerce Clause to compel you to do something. But, instead, Congress can tax you into submission. It should have been crystal clear that the Commerce Clause, which grants power to Congress to enforce free trade pacts amongst the States, could not use that clause to regulate it. If Congress can force you to purchase a product, then there is nothing government cannot force you to do. This would have been a violation of your individual liberties as well as the constitutional doctrine of enumerated powers in which Congress is only given few and specific powers. As the Supreme Court's syllabus of this case states: The Framers knew the difference between doing something and doing nothing. They gave Congress the power to regulate commerce, not to compel it. Ignoring that distinction would undermine the principle that the Federal Government is a government of limited and enumerated powers. But the Supreme Court instead told us that Congress has the power to tax and tax and tax until you submit to it.…”