Alaska GOP Senate Candidate Joe Miller Suggests Medicare And Social Security Are Unconstitutional

[jefferson_dem]

Alaska GOP Senate Candidate Joe Miller Suggests Medicare And Social Security Are Unconstitutional

Last month, Alaska GOP U.S. Senate candidate and Tea Party favorite Joe Miller said that unemployment benefits are unconstitutional. “The unemployment compensation benefits have gotten — first of all, it’s not constitutionally authorized,” he said, adding, “I think that’s the first thing that’s gotta be looked at.”

Today on CBS’ Face the Nation, Miller — who is currently ahead of incumbent Lisa Murkowski in the state’s U.S. Senate GOP primary — went a bit further. Host Bob Schieffer noted that Miller wants to privatize Social Security and phase out Medicare and wondered whether those positions were a bit extreme. But Miller didn’t think so, suggesting that the U.S. Constitution supports his view:

MILLER: Well, yeah I would suggest to you that if one thinks that the Constitution is extreme then you’d also think the Founders are extreme. We just simply want to get back to basics, restore essentially the constitutional foundation of the country and that means the federal government becoming less onerous, less involved than every basically item of our lives and what that means is there does have to be some transition.

Watch it:

Miller’s views on global warming are also “very extreme.” Last week, he told a local Alaska newspaper that he does not believe that human activity is contributing to climate change (despite overwhelming evidence finding that it has). “We know the temperature change is part of the process of our existence,” he said, but “we haven’t heard there’s man-made global warming.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/08/29/miller-medicare-unconstitutional/

[Mnpaul]

1. He also wanted the biggest handout ever

He wants us to give him all that federal land that we paid for. He didn't offer fair market value. He wants it for free.

[onehandle]

2. ...Dagnabit!

[jefferson_dem]

3. Ha...

Nailed it ... er ... him. :spew:

Git them thar guvment out of my prospectin'...

[ladjf]

4. He either is a victim of the "RW Virus Syndrome" or he

is using it for his own gain. nt

[valerief]

5. GOP candidates are unconstitutional. nt

[Dragonfli]

6. Sounds like just the kinda' guy we need on the catfood commission!

Does Obama have his number? Why hasn't he been called yet!
His goals will fit nicely with the commission's agenda and it would mean even more bi-partisanship for change, they really should call him.

[jefferson_dem]

8. Catfood Commission?

They have their "death panels." You have your "catfood commissions." :crazy:

[Dragonfli]

10. As long as they get their cuts, I doubt they care what we call their shenanigans

I take it you don't believe the commission exists.
Or perhaps you believe it's a great goodness because it was put together by Obama in order to help them with their agenda of "entitlement cuts" for fiscal responsibility.

When they are attacking SS BAD!!
When we do it GOOD!!

I get it, I still think they should call him however, he appears as qualified as any on the mythical (or does it exist?) Commission.
If I had my druthers there would be no commission to cut benefits to those that need them most and we would have a winning issue protecting SS against assholes like you mentioned in your op, the administration disagrees and it would appear so do you.

[depakid]

17. Except that the catfood commission is very real

and their members' statements and ideological affiliations are on the record.

Sometimes, the denial of reality (ala the other side of the aisle) around this place surprises even me.

[jefferson_dem]

21. "Sometimes, the denial of reality...around this place surprises even me."

On that, we agree. I present this thread as evidence.

[CTLawGuy]

22. +1

NT

[Arkana]

14. Thanks for your informative and insightful post!

I particularly like the phrase "catfood commission". It shows that you absolutely have a firm grasp on the issues and in no way are using a crappy buzzphrase to bash the President for things that haven't happened.

[Exilednight]

15. Here's the problem: Social Security is not broken, so there is no need ..............

to create a commission to study a problem that doesn't exist.

This time and energy could be spent solving real problems. The only reason you create such a commission is for either kabuki theater for the conserva-dems, or if you really plan on making changes like reducing payouts or studying other non-Democratic options.

[Ikonoklast]

7. Then so is the Air Force.

Never mentioned in the Constitution, so it must be illegal for the gubbamint to have one.


These people are cretins.

[K8-EEE]

9. But give every man, woman & child in AK a chunk of the oil money

Nothing "wealth distributing" about that....

[IndianaGreen]

11. I am surprised they didn't put him in the Cat Food Commission

He'll fit right in!

[yellowcanine]

12. Lisa Murkowski actually had a pretty good smackdown of that nonsense.

In their debate she pointed out that the Constitution mentions an Army and a Navy but no Air Force yet no one disputes that the Constitution allows for an Air Force.

[Arkana]

13. This strict constructionist crap has to stop.

You know what? None of the founders were strict constructionists. If they were there would be no Bill of Rights. No freedom of speech, religion, expression, etc.

No Senate before us has subscribed to strict constructionism. If we'd listened to the few who were, black people would still be slaves and counted as 3/5 of a person.

Women would not have the right to vote.

Senators would still be elected by state legislatures.

The voting age would still be 21.

Presidents would be allowed to run for as many terms as they want, and the popular vote would not be counted.

There would be no right to trial by jury, no right to avoid self-incrimination, and no protection against search & seizure.

And guess what, wingers? Your precious right to keep and bear arms WOULD NOT EXIST.

It is a LIVING DOCUMENT. There is no (as Chief Justice Roberts said in his confirmation hearings) "calling balls and strikes".

Complexity in law is not a vice--it is an absolute virtue.

[zulchzulu]

16. We should thank Joe Miller for allowing a perfect set of political ads that will bury him

Suggesting that Social Security and Medicare are somehow "unconstitutional" is an absolutely perfect message to scare seniors and independent voters.

Game on, Joe Miller.

:rofl:

[rasputin1952]

18. I think his campaign is ready to start pushing up daisies...

Boomers getting to entitlement age...huge voting block...G'Bye...:D

[Drale]

19. Well

I feel that being a republican is unconstutional and corupts every ideal that the founding others wanted for this country.

[catgirl]

20. What about the annual handouts given to Alaskans?

That must be unconstitutional as well. Maybe someone should ask him about it.