{"id":1036183,"date":"2021-11-20T10:44:46","date_gmt":"2021-11-20T15:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1036183"},"modified":"2021-11-20T10:44:52","modified_gmt":"2021-11-20T15:44:52","slug":"elder-infrastructure-bill-does-anyone-still-believe-in-the-constitution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elder-infrastructure-bill-does-anyone-still-believe-in-the-constitution\/","title":{"rendered":"ELDER: \u2018Infrastructure\u2019 Bill \u2013 Does Anyone Still Believe In The Constitution?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Felder-infrastructure-bill-does-anyone-still-believe-in-the-constitution%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1036183&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>It\u2019s no surprise that Democrats want an \u201cinfrastructure\u201d bill. The depressing part is that the supposedly limited government\/federalist Republicans are prepared to comply.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, Republicans complain about the price tag, arguing that it\u2019s too big, too inflationary. But as to the proposition that it\u2019s the federal government\u2019s role to build\/repair\/expand the \u201cinfrastructure\u201d of states, there is little or no quarrel from Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>During former President Donald Trump\u2019s administration, Republicans wanted to make similar \u201cinvestments\u201d in states\u2019 roads, bridges, waterways, etc., insisting businessman Trump would ensure a more efficient, productive use of the spending.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, voted for President Joe Biden\u2019s $1.2 trillion \u201cinfrastructure\u201d bill, saying: \u201cEvery president \u2026 has tried to get the infrastructure bill done. One of those presidents is our most recent president, President Donald Trump, who pushed to pass a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill during his time in office, in his budget.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No, not every president. Some early presidents actually followed the U.S. Constitution and insisted things like a crumbling bridge in state A is not the responsibility of taxpayers in states B through Z.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, the investment-infrastructure train left the station many years ago, but it\u2019s instructive to see how far we\u2019ve gone down the tax-and-spend road while ignoring the constitutional principle that presidents once subscribed to. Objecting to a congressional bill to give money to French refugees, James Madison \u2014 known as the \u201cFather of the Constitution,\u201d and our fourth president \u2014 wrote, \u201cI cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During the presidency of James Monroe, America\u2019s fifth president, Congress proposed a \u201cbuild back better\u201d bill to expand the Cumberland Road. Even though the expansion would go through and benefit his home state of Virginia, Monroe cast his only veto against the bill. According to Monroe\u2019s biography on the University of Virginia\u2019s americanpresident.org: \u201cAlthough Monroe personally supported the idea of internal improvements, he balked at the federal government\u2019s role in \u2026 a series of federally financed projects designed to improve and update the nation\u2019s roads, bridges and canals. Monroe worried \u2026 that federal payments for such internal improvements would expand even further the power of the federal government at the sake of state power. Where would the limits be drawn?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today, few in Congress question whether government should spend money on infrastructure, focusing only on how much<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s no surprise that Democrats want an \u201cinfrastructure\u201d bill. The depressing part is that the supposedly limited government\/federalist Republicans are prepared to comply.Sure, Republicans complain about the price tag, arguing that it\u2019s too big, too inflationary. But as to the proposition that it\u2019s the federal government\u2019s role to build\/repair\/expand the \u201cinfrastructure\u201d of states, there is little or no quarrel from Republicans.During former President Donald Trump\u2019s administration, Republicans wanted to make similar \u201cinvestments\u201d in states\u2019 roads, bridges, waterways, etc., insisting businessman Trump would ensure a more efficient, productive use of the spending.Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, voted for President Joe Biden\u2019s $1.2 trillion \u201cinfrastructure\u201d bill, saying: \u201cEvery president \u2026 has tried to get the infrastructure bill done. One of those presidents is our most recent president, President Donald Trump, who pushed to pass a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill during his time in office, in his budget.\u201dNo, not every president. Some early presidents actually followed the U.S. Constitution and insisted things like a crumbling bridge in state A is not the responsibility of taxpayers in states B through Z.Yes, the investment-infrastructure train left the station many years ago, but it\u2019s instructive to see how far we\u2019ve gone down the tax-and-spend road while ignoring the constitutional principle that presidents once subscribed to. Objecting to a congressional bill to give money to French refugees, James Madison \u2014 known as the \u201cFather of the Constitution,\u201d and our fourth president \u2014 wrote, \u201cI cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.\u201dDuring the presidency of James Monroe, America\u2019s fifth president, Congress proposed a \u201cbuild back better\u201d bill to expand the Cumberland Road. Even though the expansion would go through and benefit his home state of Virginia, Monroe cast his only veto against the bill. According to Monroe\u2019s biography on the University of Virginia\u2019s americanpresident.org: \u201cAlthough Monroe personally supported the idea of internal improvements, he balked at the federal government\u2019s role in \u2026 a series of federally financed projects designed to improve and update the nation\u2019s roads, bridges and canals. Monroe worried \u2026 that federal payments for such internal improvements would expand even further the power of the federal government at the sake of state power. Where would the limits be drawn?\u201dToday, few in Congress question whether government should spend money on infrastructure, focusing only on how much to spend.The constitutional principle is not the only reason that \u201cinfrastructure\u201d bills are bad. Why should a state said aside money to fix its own bridges when the state knows that it can spend its money on other priorities, given that sooner or later the federal government, aka all taxpayers, will ride to the rescue? After President Jimmy Carter signed 1979\u2019s Federal Emergency Management Act, FEMA began giving money to states experiencing \u201cnatural disasters.\u201d The number of declared natural disasters skyrocketed. States spent their money on other things knowing that declaring a \u201cnatural disaster\u201d would provoke an influx of federal dollars.After Biden\u2019s infrastructure bill, he wants Congress to \u201cinvest\u201d in his Build Back Better bill. White House press secretary Jen Psaki recently said, \u201cHe\u2019s going to deliver for all Americans, as is evidenced by the infrastructure bill \u2026 that\u2019s going to help expand broadband to everyone, no matter your political party.\u201d\u201cExpand broadband,\u201d which means internet access? The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, wrote: \u201cThe Biden Administration is less interested in bridging the digital divide than it is about transforming the United States\u2019 successful intermodal competitive system into a utility provided by local governments. Federal intervention \u2026 only serves to distort competition, enriching incumbents and hindering the development of new technology. \u2026 The best way to lower prices is not with heavy-handed price controls and cumbersome regulation but through robust competition.\u201dI have written that half the country believes in a free lunch and the other half is stopping them from eating it. When it comes to Democratic and Republican support for federal government \u201cinfrastructure\u201d spending and \u201cinvestments,\u201d it is sometimes hard to know which half is which.The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host. His latest book, \u201cThe New Trump Standard,\u201d is available in paperback from Amazon.com and for Nook, Kindle, iBooks and Google Play. To find out more about Larry Elder, or become an \u201cElderado,\u201d visit www.LarryElder.com. Follow Larry on Twitter @LarryElder. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1036183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1036183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1036183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1036183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1036183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1036183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1036183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}