Yes, you read that right.
A speaker at a Democratic National Committee summer meeting argued that both the Bible and the Constitution promote a socialist agenda.
"When we embrace moral language, we must ask does our policy care for the least of these? Does it lift up those who are most marginalized and dejected in our society? Does it establish justice? That is the moral question," said Rev. William Barber, according to the Washington Free Beacon. "If someone calls it socialism, then we must compel them to acknowledge that the Bible must then promote socialism, because Jesus offered free health care to everyone, and he never charged a leper a co-pay," he said.
"The Bible says a nation will be judged by how it treats the poor and the sick and women and the immigrants," Barber said. "The Bible says that God makes it rain on the just and unjust alike. If you want to call caring for folks socialism, then the Constitution is a socialist document because it calls us to promote the general welfare and to establish justice."
Did you catch that last statement?
According to Barber, because the Constitution compels the federal government to promote the "general welfare," socialism is on the table. Never mind the fact that the Founders wanted a small, limited national government -- the General Welfare Clause, according to the Reverend, gives the feds a blank check to do pretty much whatever they want.
Believe it or not, the Supreme Court has been making more or less the same argument over the last 100 years.
Misinterpretations of the General Welfare Clause are one of the major reasons the federal government has been allowed to expand. If a federal program or agency promotes the "general welfare" -- even if it isn't mentioned in the Constitution -- the Courts have allowed it to exist despite the clear intentions of the Constitution's Framers.
This kind of thinking isn't limited to Democrats, either. Republicans have expanded the power, scope, and jurisdiction of Washington, D.C., as well, and this current crop of politicians looks to be no different.
Because the Courts rarely reverse their own decisions, the only way to get rid of bad Supreme Court decisions is via constitutional amendment. Congress will never act to restrict its own power, which is why millions of Americans have joined the Convention of States Project.
An Article V Convention of States can propose constitutional amendments that clarify the Founders' original intent. These amendments can re-frame clauses like the General Welfare Clause and the Commerce Clause to end Washington's ability to legislate and spend money on virtually every aspect of American life.
Millions have joined the effort, and fifteen states have jumped on board. If you want to help the cause in your state, then sign the Convention of States Petition below!
