Section 8

I was always told that the power in the constitution that gives congress the right to enact various welfare type programs comes from Article one section eight where the phrase, “provide for the common welfare” is written. With all the new government programs recently proposed, I decided to look further into this and much to my surprise I came face to face with the semi colon. This rather innocuous punctuation mark is at the center of the debate over this constitutional clause. Recall that the founding fathers were well educated and considered grammarians and spent days arguing over little things like punctuation marks. They knew that marks like the semi colon could change the meanings of words. It is in the opening sentence of section eight where the phrase, “provide for the general welfare” occurs and this sentence ends in a semi colon. The plot thickens. The use of the semi colon is used in this case to make a general statement followed by a more detailed understanding of the issue. With a new appointee to the court on the arisen this illustrates how two words, (general welfare) can be expanded. Those two words are mentioned in the opening paragraph but not after that. Since they did not elaborate the courts have been able to add any type of general welfare they deemed necessary and there are many. Here is the text. Section 8 - The Text The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; (here is the famous semi-colon) To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian Tribes; To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; To establish Post Offices and post Roads; To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries; To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations; To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; To provide and maintain a Navy; To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; —And To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.