Let me say up front that I find FoxNews a far better source for accurate political information than our network news outlets. Having said that I have noticed that when FoxNews reports on the proposed legislation to give our president Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority, it seems to constantly point out that unions are against the proposal, but fail to say in the same breath that those who support an adherence to the defined and limited powers assigned to our president as distinguished from those assigned to Congress are also against FTTPA. And they are against it because it proposes to allow the president to usurp Congress’ exclusive legislative powers which deal with regulations of Commerce.
When it comes to the un-constitutionality of FTTPA our Constitution is crystal clear as to Congress having exclusive power to “regulative commerce with foreign nation”. Congress is also vested with an exclusive 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…” And this power, laying imposts and duties, is one of the specific tools our Founders intended Congress to use to “regulate commerce with foreign nations”.
To get an idea of how our founders used Congress’ assigned powers to regulate commerce with foreign nations while promoting the general welfare of the United States see An Act imposing duties on Tonnage July 20, 1789
"...a discount of ten percent on all duties imposed by this Act shall be allowed on such goods, wares, and merchandise as shall be imported in vessels built in the United States, and wholly the property of a citizen or citizens thereof."
This patriotic use of taxing at our water’s edge not only filled our national treasury, but encouraged ship building on American soil and predictably resulted in America's ship building industry to flourish and America’s merchant marine to become the most powerful on the face of the planet. But our global governance crowd, under the cloak of “free trade”, want to prohibit our various state Congressional Delegations sent to Washington to use their powers over commerce and taxation to promote America’s best interests and the interests of their immediate constituents. And this is what FTTPA is designed to accomplish.
If adopted, FTTPA would allow the president to usurp Congress’ legislative powers to create a Bill regulating commerce with foreign nations, debate that Bill, amend it as needed to reflect the general welfare of the United States, and then send that Bill to the President for his approval.
Instead, FTTPA proposes to allow the President to usurp Congress’ exclusive legislative powers when making regulations of commerce and leaves Congress with the president’s veto power.
FTTPA is intentionally designed to neuter each State’s Congressional Delegation’s participation in the making of law, and it strikes at the very heart of our constitutionally limited system of representative government. And yet, FoxNews seems to be more interested in telling us unions are against it, rather than reporting that fundamental guarantees of our Constitution, the guarantee that all legislative powers are vested in a Congress of the United States, and that Congress is vested with an exclusive power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, is under attack as proposed in Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority.
Here is a list of 62 tyrannical Senators who voted today to advance the nefarious FTTPA which is an attack on the People’s voice being heard and acted upon in the making of legislation dealing with foreign commerce.
Finally, thank you Senators, Susan Collins, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Jeff Sessions, and Richard C. Shelby for being loyal to your oath of office and rejecting this despotic attack upon our Constitution’s separation of powers.
JWK
The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. ___ Madison, Federalist Paper No. 47
When it comes to the un-constitutionality of FTTPA our Constitution is crystal clear as to Congress having exclusive power to “regulative commerce with foreign nation”. Congress is also vested with an exclusive 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…” And this power, laying imposts and duties, is one of the specific tools our Founders intended Congress to use to “regulate commerce with foreign nations”.
To get an idea of how our founders used Congress’ assigned powers to regulate commerce with foreign nations while promoting the general welfare of the United States see An Act imposing duties on Tonnage July 20, 1789
"...a discount of ten percent on all duties imposed by this Act shall be allowed on such goods, wares, and merchandise as shall be imported in vessels built in the United States, and wholly the property of a citizen or citizens thereof."
This patriotic use of taxing at our water’s edge not only filled our national treasury, but encouraged ship building on American soil and predictably resulted in America's ship building industry to flourish and America’s merchant marine to become the most powerful on the face of the planet. But our global governance crowd, under the cloak of “free trade”, want to prohibit our various state Congressional Delegations sent to Washington to use their powers over commerce and taxation to promote America’s best interests and the interests of their immediate constituents. And this is what FTTPA is designed to accomplish.
If adopted, FTTPA would allow the president to usurp Congress’ legislative powers to create a Bill regulating commerce with foreign nations, debate that Bill, amend it as needed to reflect the general welfare of the United States, and then send that Bill to the President for his approval.
Instead, FTTPA proposes to allow the President to usurp Congress’ exclusive legislative powers when making regulations of commerce and leaves Congress with the president’s veto power.
FTTPA is intentionally designed to neuter each State’s Congressional Delegation’s participation in the making of law, and it strikes at the very heart of our constitutionally limited system of representative government. And yet, FoxNews seems to be more interested in telling us unions are against it, rather than reporting that fundamental guarantees of our Constitution, the guarantee that all legislative powers are vested in a Congress of the United States, and that Congress is vested with an exclusive power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, is under attack as proposed in Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority.
Here is a list of 62 tyrannical Senators who voted today to advance the nefarious FTTPA which is an attack on the People’s voice being heard and acted upon in the making of legislation dealing with foreign commerce.
Finally, thank you Senators, Susan Collins, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Jeff Sessions, and Richard C. Shelby for being loyal to your oath of office and rejecting this despotic attack upon our Constitution’s separation of powers.
JWK
The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. ___ Madison, Federalist Paper No. 47