I'm not ignoring anything, the phrase "provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States" is more than sufficiently clear that such things must apply to the nation as a whole, or it should not be financed by Congress due to the rest of the wording. For a more complete explanation of this and James Madison's view on the subject, feel free to refer to this.
https://constitutionstudy.com/2018/10/26/general-welfare-clause/
I'm not ignoring anything, the phrase "provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States" is more than sufficiently clear that such things must apply to the nation as a whole, or it should not be financed by Congress due to the rest of the wording.
And the issue you’ve ignored isn’t with the phrase but your meaning of the word “General and common” to mean “all” and “equally.” The author at the site doesn’t agree with your “all” and “equally” definitions of “general welfare and common” as the author included meanings of something less than “all” and having nothing to do with “equally.”
As I stated previously, spending for the G and W required a national focus or impact, hence, pork barrel spending with no connection/impact/benefit, or tenuous, to the national community is not permitted. Where pork barrel spending is money reserved for a project in a specific state and it’s benefit will largely be for the state/county, city, etcetera.
And I’m intimately familiar with Madison’s views, as I referenced them earlier, have dozens of books about the man on my shelf that I’ve read, and a the collection of his letters and notes from the Constitutional Convention. Madison is my favorite American political thinker.
But Madison is a man, a person, with an opinion. He isn’t a deity speaking to the masses as to what is true, recorded onto two stone tablets, and delivered to the masses from the top of Mount Sinai.
Madison is not right or wrong because he is Madison. Madison is correct or mistaken based on the facts, evidence, and strength of the reasoning. Simply, Madison’s view the G and W isn’t a grant of power is not supported by the plain text and demonstrate to me the plain text meaning isn’t what was intended or meant.
Furthermore, Madison’s view the G and W isn’t a grant of power and that the general welfare and common defence is only achieved by one of the specific, subsequent enumerated powers isn’t supported by the plain text. Demonstrating
the plain text meaning isn’t what was intended or meant.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time Madison had a disagreement with the plain text meaning. Madison also disagreed with States’ all or nothing approach to assigning electoral votes, arguing it was envisioned the states would assign electoral votes based upon the number of congressional districts won in the state. Yet, the plain text meaning doesn’t support what Madison said.
And the plain text doesn’t support Madison’s reading of the General welfare clause, hence, he is factually wrong. What he or others intended is irrelevant as the written law is the law.
Yes, I can see that you're not obsessing at all, that's why you wrote such a lengthy reply and are likely the one who cried about me "bullying you" or whatever you want to call it.
Nope. Not me. I have no reservations advising a poster to stop the nonsense of ad hominems or risk being reported. Given your caustic, playground tactics of verbal bullying by calling people names, I would have no reservations telling you I reported you as you deserved it and I’d be proud I did it.
But observering how well you haven’t made intellectual discourse possible with your self-serving declarations you are superior and calling others names, there’s no shortage of people here who’ve had enough of the BS name calling and have very good reasons to report your name calling tactics.
I’ve addressed your argument and focused upon your argument. As a result, you never “bullied me” with your ad hominems, as your name calling to me was well received, a validation you had nothing, nothing substantively to say, that your argument was beaten, you knew it, hence your name calling to me because that’s all you had left.