Another Day, Another Congressional Constitutional Scholar

From Michelle Malkin:

Jan 20, 2011 (13 hours ago)Another Day, Another Congressional Constitutional Scholarfrom Michelle Malkin by Doug Powers**Written by Doug Powers




A recent poll found that the general public knows more about the Constitution than elected officials, and one Congressman is on a mission to validate the poll’s findings:



Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) believes the Constitution justifies Obamacare’s mandate that people must buy health insurance. According to him, the Constitution’s reference to the “pursuit of happiness” specifically justifies that mandate. There’s just one problem, the pursuit of happiness isn’t in the Constitution.



“Well, when you start off with the Preamble of the Constitution, you talk about the pursuit of happiness,” Lewis told CNS News regarding the mandate’s justification. ”You go to the 14th Amendment–it’s equal protection under the law and we have not repealed the 14th Amendment. People have a right to have health care. It’s not a privilege but a right.”



The “pursuit of happiness” is of course from the Declaration. If Lewis would have first checked with his colleagues he would have known that the Preamble of the Constitution is the one that starts with “My country tis of thee…”



**Written by Doug Powers



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