Bad Bills
This bill also increases our counterproductive practice of sending United
States’ taxpayer money abroad to prop up selected foreign media, which
inexplicably are referred to as “independent media.” This is an unconstitutional
misuse of tax money. Additionally, does anyone believe that citizens of
countries where the United States subsidizes certain media outlets take
kindly to, or take seriously, such media? How would Americans feel if
they knew that publications taking a certain editorial line were financed
by foreign governments? We cannot refer to foreign media funded by the
U.S. government as “independent media.” The U.S. government should never
be in the business of funding the media, either at home or abroad.
Ron Paul, “The 9/11 Intelligence Bill: More Bureaucracy,
More Intervention, Less Freedom,” U.S. House of Representatives, Oct.
8, 2004.
The Constitution already provides the framework for Congress to function
after a catastrophic event. Article I Section 2 grants the governors of
the various states authority to hold special elections to fill vacancies
in the House of Representatives. Article I Section 4 gives Congress the
authority to designate the time, manner, and place of such special elections
if states should fail to act expeditiously following a national emergency.
As [Alexander] Hamilton explains in Federalist 59, the “time, place, and
manner” clause was specifically designed to address the kind of extraordinary
circumstances imagined by the supporters of HJRes. 83. Hamilton characterized
authority over federal elections as shared between the states and Congress,
with neither being able to control the process entirely. Ron
Paul, “The House of Representatives Must be Elected!” U.S. House of Representatives,
June 2, 2004.