We all know that Joe W. Miller believes that Unemployment Insurance is "unconstitutional," because the power to collect for it and pay it is not specifically "delegated to the United States."
Back in the primary election, Carpetbagger Joe also noted in the Project Vote Smart Survey that he opposed "increasing the federal minimum wage."
Pretty standard Republican - keep rich folks rich and poor folks poor.
However, recently, in an interview with ABC News, Miller went a couple steps further.
Joe refers to (and paraphrases) the 10th amendment to the U.S. Constitution as the basis for this insanity.
Before I get into the 10th Amendment, I'm going to refer Joe to the original document itself, starting with the Preamble:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." (emphasis mine)
I'm also going to refer Joe to Article 1, Section 8... specifically Clause 18:
The Congress shall have Power - To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. (again, emphasis mine)
When the first 10 amendments ("The Bill of Rights") were drafted and eventually ratified, there was much hoopla and argument about the specific wording of the 10th Amendment.
The upshot of the ruction was that the 10th Amendment as worded and ratified did NOT negate "necessary and proper" as listed in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18.
So, whatever federal powers that are actually curtailed by the 10th Amendment have been largely decided upon by the U.S. Supreme Court, on pretty much a case-by-case basis.
Using Joe's logic, the U.S. Air Force should be abolished. The US Constitution authorizes the federal government to create an Army and a Navy... but there's no mention of an Air Force.
Of course, even though he is an graduate of the ELITE Yale School of Law , demonstrating whether or not he has an actual understanding of the Constitution is unimportant to Mr. Miller.
Repeating Tea Party Express talking points and keeping Tea Party Express billionaire financiers the Koch brothers happy is what's important.
The "back to the Constitution" rhetoric plays well to low-information tea-party voters (who are pretty sure they're mad about something), and it keeps those ultra-conservative's campaign bucks coming in.
Just like the evangelist who cherry-picks holy scripture to back his rant against homosexuals, or to "prove" why women should be subject to a man's whim, Carpetbagger Joe cherry-picks the Constitution to support his financer's extremist views.
Based on his history of gaming the system on a number of fronts, Joe Miller should be seen by Alaskans for what he is:
A fraud and a hypocrite.
h/t to Packy for the graphic.
