Article 1, Sections 8, 9, and 10

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Section 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;

To establish post offices and post roads;

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

To provide and maintain a navy;

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings;--And

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.

Section 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person.

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.

No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

No capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken. (Modified by XVI Amendment)

No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state.

No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one state over those of another: nor shall vessels bound to, or from, one state, be obliged to enter, clear or pay duties in another.

No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.

Section 10. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.

No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection laws: and the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury of the United States; and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress.

No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.

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OK folks, let's have some REAL fun, shall we? Below is a complete list of ALL of the Federal Agencies, Bureaus, Commissions, etc., from USA.gov (minus obvious State links), so let's see how many of them are actually in compliance with Article 1, Section 8, or other specific part of the United States Constitution (including Amendments), and how many are inventions of various administrations that are in clear violation of Article 1, Section 8. Let's put it another way, if you were King for a week, and were given the opportunity to, by Executive fiat, eliminate any governmental Agency, Bureau, Department, etc., that is not authorized by Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution (or elsewhere, including Amendments), which ones would you eliminate?

Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Native Americans, Administration on Aging (AoA), Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, African Development Foundation, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Agency for International Development, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Agricultural Marketing Service, Agricultural Research Service, Agriculture Department (USDA), Air Force, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (Treasury), Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau (Justice), American Battle Monuments Commission, American Forces Information Service, American Samoa Home Page, AMTRAK (National Railroad Passenger Corporation), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Appalachian Regional Commission, Architect of the Capitol, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board), Archives (National Archives and Records Administration), Arctic Research Commission, Armed Forces Retirement Home, Arms Control and International Security, Army, Army Corps of Engineers, Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee, Atlantic Fleet Forces Command, Bankruptcy Courts, Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, Botanic Garden, Broadcasting Board of Governors (Voice of America, Radio|TV Marti and more), Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade (Treasury), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (Justice), Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS), Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Industry and Security (formerly the Bureau of Export Administration), Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Prisons, Bureau of Public Debt, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of the Census, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Census Bureau, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (formerly the Health Care Financing Administration), Central Command (CENTCOM), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Chief Acquisition Officers Council, Chief Financial Officers Council, Chief Human Capital Officers Council, Chief Information Officers Council, Cities, Counties, and Towns in the United States, Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, Citizenship and Immigration Services Bureau (formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service), Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Coalition Provisional Authority (in Iraq), Coast Guard, Commerce Department, Commission of Fine Arts, Commission on Civil Rights, Commission on Helping to Enhance the Livelihood of People around the Globe (HELP Commission), Commission on International Religious Freedom, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission), Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Community Planning and Development, Comptroller of the Currency Office, Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US CERT), Congress, Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congressional Research Service, Constitution Center, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Copyright Office, Corporation for National and Community Service, Corps of Engineers, Council of Economic Advisers, Council on Environmental Quality, Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Court of Federal Claims, Court of International Trade, Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia, Customs and Border Protection, Defense Acquisition University, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Commissary Agency, Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), Defense Contract Management Agency, Defense Department (DOD), Defense Field Activities, Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Defense Legal Services Agency, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Defense Security Service (DSS), Defense Technical Information Center, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Denali Commission, Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Commerce (DOC), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Defense Inspector General, Department of Education (ED), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Labor (DOL), Department of State (DOS), Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of the Treasury, Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Director of National Intelligence, Disability Employment Policy Office, Domestic Policy Council, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Economic Adjustment Office, Economic Analysis, Bureau of, Economic Development Administration, Economic Research Service, Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs (State Department), Economics & Statistics Administration, Education Department (ED), Election Assistance Commission, Elementary and Secondary Education, Employee Benefits Security Administration (formerly Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration), Employment and Training Administration (Labor Department), Employment Standards Administration, Endangered Species Committee, Energy Department (DOE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Energy Information Administration, Enforcement (Treasury Department), English Language Acquisition Office, Engraving and Printing, Bureau of, Environmental Management (Energy Department), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), European Command, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Export Administration (now the Bureau of Industry and Security), Export-Import Bank of the United States, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Office, Farm Credit Administration, Farm Service Agency, Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Consulting Group, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Federal Election Commission, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Federal Executive Boards, Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, Federal Financing Bank, Federal Geographic Data Committee, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Federal Housing Finance Board, Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds, Federal Interagency Committee on Education, Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy, Federal Judicial Center, Federal Labor Relations Authority, Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Federal Library and Information Center Committee, Federal Maritime Commission, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Reserve System, Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, Federal Student Aid, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Transit Administration, Federated States of Micronesia Home Page, Financial Management Service (Treasury Department), Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Home Page, Florida State, County and City Websites, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Food and Nutrition Service, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, Foreign Agricultural Service, Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, Forest Service, Fossil Energy, Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, General Services Administration (GSA), Geological Survey (USGS), Global Affairs (State Department), Global Communications Office (White House), Government Accountability Office (GAO), Government National Mortgage Association, Government Printing Office (GPO), Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration...

-to be continued-

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-continued from above-

Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, Health and Human Services Department (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration, Helsinki Commission (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe), Holocaust Memorial Museum, Homeland Security Department (DHS), House Leadership Offices, House of Representatives, House of Representatives Committees, House Office of Inspector General, House Office of the Clerk, House Organizations, Commissions, and Task Forces, House Representatives on the Web, Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD), Housing Office (HUD), Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Immigration and Naturalization Service (Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services), Indian Affairs, Bureau of, Indian Arts and Crafts Board, Indian Health Service, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Industry and Security Bureau of (formerly the Bureau of Export Administration), Information Resource Management College, Innovation and Improvement Office, Institute of Education Sciences, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Institute of Peace, Inter-American Foundation, Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group, Interagency Council on Homelessness, Interior Department, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), International Labor Affairs, Bureau of, International Trade Administration (ITA), International Trade Commission, James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation, Japan-United States Friendship Commission, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Joint Fire Science Program, Joint Forces Command, Joint Forces Staff College, Joint Military Intelligence College, Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, Justice Department, Justice Programs Office (Juvenile Justice, Victims of Crime, Violence Against Women and more), Justice Statistics, Bureau of, Labor Department (DOL), Labor Statistics, Bureau of, Land Management, Bureau of, Lead Hazard Control (Housing and Urban Development Department), Legal Services Corporation, Library of Congress,
Marine Corps, Marine Mammal Commission, Maritime Administration, Marketing and Regulatory Programs (Agriculture Department), Marshals Service, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, Military Postal Service Agency, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Mine Safety and Health Administration, Minerals Management Service, Minority Business Development Agency, Mint (Treasury Department), Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Mississippi River Commission, Morris K. Udall Foundation: Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy, Multifamily Housing Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Agricultural Statistics Service, National AIDS Policy Office, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare, National Capital Planning Commission, National Cemetery Administration (Veterans Affairs Department), National Constitution Center, National Council on Disability, National Counterintelligence Executive, Office of, National Credit Union Administration, National Defense University, National Drug Intelligence Center, National Economic Council, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Guard, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Indian Gaming Commission, National Institute for Literacy, National Institute of Justice, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Interagency Fire Center, National Labor Relations Board, National Laboratories (Energy Department), National Marine Fisheries, National Mediation Board, National Nuclear Security Administration, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Park Foundation, National Park Service, National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK), National Reconnaissance Office, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency (NSA), National Security Council, National Technical Information Service, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, National War College, National Weather Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Navy, Northern Command, Northwest Power Planning Council, Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, Office of Compliance, Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Office of Government Ethics, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Office of Personnel Management, Office of Refugee Resettlement, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Office of Special Counsel, Office of Thrift Supervision, Open World Leadership Center, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Pacific Command, Pardon Attorney Office, Parole Commission (Justice Department), Patent and Trademark Office, Peace Corps, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (now the Employee Benefits Security Administration), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, Pentagon Force Protection Agency, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Policy Development and Research (Housing and Urban Development Department), Political Affairs (State Department), Postal Regulatory Commission, Postal Service (USPS), Postsecondary Education, Power Administrations, President's Commission on Moon, Mars and Beyond, President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service, President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency, President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, Presidio Trust, Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, Program Executive Office, Ships, Public and Indian Housing, Public Debt, Bureau of, Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (State Department), Radio and TV Marti (Español), Radio Free Asia (RFA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Railroad Retirement Board, Reclamation, Bureau of, Refugee Resettlement, Regulatory Information Service Center, Rehabilitation Services Administration (Education Department), Research and Innovative Technology Administration (Transportation Department), Research, Education and Economics (Agriculture Department), Risk Management Agency (Agriculture Department), Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Rural Development, Rural Housing Service, Rural Utilities Service, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, Science Office (Energy Department), Secret Service, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Selective Service System, Senate, Senate Committees, Senate Leadership, Senators on the Web, Small Business Administration (SBA), Smithsonian Institution, Social Security Administration (SSA), Social Security Advisory Board, Southern Command, Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Special Forces Operations Command, State Department, State Justice Institute, Stennis Center for Public Service, Strategic Command, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Superfund Basic Research Program, Supreme Court of the United States, Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, Surface Transportation Board, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Tax Court, Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, Tennessee Valley Authority, Transportation Command, Transportation Department (DOT), Transportation Security Administration, Transportation Statistics, Bureau of, Treasury Department, TRICARE Management, Trustee Program (Justice Department), U.S. Border Patrol (now Customs and Border Protection), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. International Trade Commission ,U.S. Military Academy, West Point, U.S. Mint, U.S. Mission to the United Nations, U.S. National Central Bureau - Interpol (Justice Department), U.S. Postal Service (USPS), U.S. Sentencing Commission, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, U.S. Trade Representative, Unified Combatant Commands (Defense Department), Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Veterans Affairs Department (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Day National Committee, Veterans Health Administration, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, Vietnam Educational Foundation, Vocational and Adult Education, Voice of America (VOA), Washington Headquarters Services,, Weather Service, National, West Point (Army), White House, White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance, White House Office of Administration, Women's Bureau (Labor Department), Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Perhaps it would be easier to simply point out the ones that you WOULD keep.

[HairyEyeball]

Some thoughts that beg an answer regarding the above, possibly more than adequately presaging the drafting of a revised Declaration of Independence:

With the Constitution itself so readily available for reference, shall we examine some acts taken by various branches of the government so chartered?

By what authority does an ‘agency’ of the government arrogate unto itself the power to originate ‘law’? Is this not an enumerated power of the Legislature, and only when signed by the President or his veto overridden by a two-thirds majority of both Houses? How then, does the Federal Aviation Administration issue a ukase specifying that any citizen be arbitrarily stripped – not only literally – but of those rights clearly and specifically guaranteed under Amendments I, II, IV, V, VI, VIII and IX?

By what authority do the unelected bureaucrats, responsible to none, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Incendiaries, and Electrically Ignited Ordnance (aka B.A.T.F.E.I.E.I.O.) issue ukases specifying the type, operation and measurements of any firearm or instrument of personal protection an individual may possess (one never ‘owns’ anything, including one’s home: The ‘government’ – or one of its ‘agencies’ or ‘bureaus’ – charges you for the ‘privilege’ of any such ‘ownership’, and reserves the power to seize it at any time), as well as the materials it may be constructed of, the amount of ammunition it – or you – may hold, the very appearance of the object?

By what authority does the Occupational Health and Safety Administration arbitrarily dictate the ‘approved’ size of the American (or illegal alien) worker, and seize the power to bankrupt or otherwise close an entity under the pretense that its safety railings do not measure an arbitrary height, or its floors or platforms sustain an arbitrary weight?

Under what provision of the Constitution is the government, its branches, bureaucracies or agencies empowered to employ force and intimidation against its citizens to curtail or deny their rights? Under what Article is the government empowered to override the rights of the joint and several States, as well as those rights recognized as retained by the People, by imposing arbitrary and capricious ‘standards’ on speed limits, alcohol and tobacco consumption and use, the rite of marriage - even blood alcohol content?

Where in that Constitution, that so-called supreme Law of the Land, is a government of clearly and specifically and limited enumerated powers, granted the option or authority to freely abrogate any Article, Section or provision at whim, yet employ military force against any of those States – freely entering into the compact – which exercise their right to revoke their acceptance of a contract which the other party has repeatedly violated?

Obviously, these questions merely scratch the surface of federal abuse; any reasonably comprehensive listing would strain the imagination and any addition of parallel State and local abuses be incomprehensible in their enormity.

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Well, this is what I would keep, you opinion may vary.

Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Air Force, American Forces Information Service, Architect of the Capitol, Archives (National Archives and Records Administration), Armed Forces Retirement Home, Arms Control and International Security, Army, Atlantic Fleet Forces Command, Bankruptcy Courts, Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade (Treasury), *Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (Justice)*, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS), Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Prisons, Bureau of Public Debt, Bureau of the Census, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Census Bureau, Central Command (CENTCOM), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Chief Acquisition Officers Council, Chief Financial Officers Council, Chief Human Capital Officers Council, Chief Information Officers Council, Citizenship and Immigration Services Bureau (formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service), Coalition Provisional Authority (in Iraq), Coast Guard, Commerce Department, Commission of Fine Arts, Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction, Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Comptroller of the Currency Office, Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US CERT), Congress, Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congressional Research Service, Constitution Center, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Copyright Office, Council of Economic Advisers, Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Court of Federal Claims, Court of International Trade, Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia, Customs and Border Protection, Defense Acquisition University, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Commissary Agency, Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), Defense Contract Management Agency, Defense Department (DOD), Defense Field Activities, Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Defense Legal Services Agency, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Defense Security Service (DSS), Defense Technical Information Center, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Department of Commerce (DOC), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Defense Inspector General, *Department of Homeland Security (DHS)*, Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Labor (DOL), Department of State (DOS), Department of the Treasury, Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Director of National Intelligence, Economic Adjustment Office, Economic Analysis, Bureau of, Economic Development Administration, Economic Research Service, Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs (State Department), Economics & Statistics Administration, Election Assistance Commission, Energy Department (DOE), Enforcement (Treasury Department), Engraving and Printing, Bureau of, European Command, Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Federal Election Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Federal Executive Boards, Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, Federal Financing Bank, Federal Geographic Data Committee, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy, Federal Judicial Center, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Federal Library and Information Center Committee, Federal Maritime Commission, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Reserve System, Financial Management Service (Treasury Department), Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, General Services Administration (GSA), Geological Survey (USGS), Global Affairs (State Department), Global Communications Office (White House), Government Accountability Office (GAO), Government Printing Office (GPO), *Homeland Security Department (DHS)*, House Leadership Offices, House of Representatives, House of Representatives Committees, House Office of Inspector General, House Office of the Clerk, House Organizations, Commissions, and Task Forces, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Immigration and Naturalization Service (Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services), Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Information Resource Management College, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Joint Forces Command, Joint Forces Staff College, Joint Military Intelligence College, Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, Justice Department, Justice Programs Office (Juvenile Justice, Victims of Crime, Violence Against Women and more), Justice Statistics, Bureau of, Library of Congress, Marine Corps, Maritime Administration, Marshals Service, Military Postal Service Agency, Mint (Treasury Department), Missile Defense Agency (MDA), *National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)*, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), National Capital Planning Commission, National Cemetery Administration (Veterans Affairs Department), National Constitution Center, National Counterintelligence Executive, Office of, National Credit Union Administration, National Defense University, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Guard, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Institute of Justice, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Reconnaissance Office, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency (NSA), National Security Council, National War College, Navy, Northern Command, Office of Government Ethics, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Office of Special Counsel, Pacific Command, Pardon Attorney Office, Parole Commission (Justice Department), Patent and Trademark Office, Pentagon Force Protection Agency, Postal Regulatory Commission, Postal Service (USPS), President's Commission on Moon, Mars and Beyond, President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service, President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency, President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, Public Debt, Bureau of, Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (State Department), Science Office (Energy Department), Secret Service, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Senate, Senate Committees, Senate Leadership, Senators on the Web, Small Business Administration (SBA), Smithsonian Institution, Southern Command, Special Forces Operations Command, State Department, State Justice Institute, Strategic Command, Supreme Court of the United States, Surface Transportation Board, Tax Court, Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, Transportation Command, Transportation Department (DOT), Transportation Security Administration, Transportation Statistics, Bureau of, Treasury Department, TRICARE Management, Trustee Program (Justice Department), U.S. Border Patrol (now Customs and Border Protection), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, U.S. Mint, U.S. Postal Service (USPS), U.S. Sentencing Commission, Unified Combatant Commands (Defense Department), Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Veterans Affairs Department (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Day National Committee, Veterans Health Administration, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, Vietnam Educational Foundation, Washington Headquarters Services, West Point (Army), White House, White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance, White House Office of Administration.

[03_SHOOTER]

Originally Posted by HairyEyeball

Some thoughts that beg an answer regarding the above, possibly more than adequately presaging the drafting of a revised Declaration of Independence:

With the Constitution itself so readily available for reference, shall we examine some acts taken by various branches of the government so chartered?

By what authority does an ‘agency’ of the government arrogate unto itself the power to originate ‘law’? Is this not an enumerated power of the Legislature, and only when signed by the President or his veto overridden by a two-thirds majority of both Houses? How then, does the Federal Aviation Administration issue a ukase specifying that any citizen be arbitrarily stripped – not only literally – but of those rights clearly and specifically guaranteed under Amendments I, II, IV, V, VI, VIII and IX?

...

Under what provision of the Constitution is the government, its branches, bureaucracies or agencies empowered to employ force and intimidation against its citizens to curtail or deny their rights? Under what Article is the government empowered to override the rights of the joint and several States, as well as those rights recognized as retained by the People, by imposing arbitrary and capricious ‘standards’ on speed limits, ... - even blood alcohol content?

...

Obviously, these questions merely scratch the surface of federal abuse; any reasonably comprehensive listing would strain the imagination and any addition of parallel State and local abuses be incomprehensible in their enormity.

OK, to play "Devils Advocate" for a moment as it concerns speed limits and some of the other issues you have named; as Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution explicitly grants Congress the Right to establish the Post Roads, and as Title 39, Section 5003 of the United States Code provides that;

(1) the waters of the United States, during the time the mail is carried thereon;
(2) railroads or parts of railroads and air routes in operation;
(3) canals, during the time the mail is carried thereon;
(4) public roads, highways, and toll roads during the time the mail is carried thereon; and
(5) letter-carrier routes established for the collection and delivery of mail.

are all "Post Roads", and that at any given time of the day or night, mail is in fact being carried on those "Post Roads", it would necessarily fall under the Right of the Congress to establish and enforce "speed limits" on those roads to ensure the safe and expeditious delivery of the mail. It would also fall within the purview of the Congress, in the interest of the safety and expeditious delivery of the mail, to mandate that those persons using the Post Roads are not in any way encumbered by the influences of mind altering substances.

The same argument can be made to ensure the safety, and expeditious delivery of the mail while such mail is being transported upon civilian aircraft, thereby necessitating whatever measures deemed necessary to ensure that whatever passengers are also on the aforementioned aircraft will pose no threat to the safe and expedient delivery of the mail to it's final destination.

[HairyEyeball]

While the argument may be made for the Eisenhower Federal Interstate System and many subsidiary highways as 'post roads', the presumption that all roads and byways fall under federal dominance reaches deeply into the 'rights' of the joint and several States authority not ceded to the central government. There is, too, the issue of where a measure or restriction of presumed 'security' becomes a clear violation of Constitutionally guaranteed individual rights - lest one forget, Benjamin Franklin had a rather sharp insight on the subject.

At issue, though, is more than the presumptive 'authority' of the Congress of the United States to legislate and regulate - more critical is their cowardice in shouldering the burden of such responsibility, illegally delegating the making of law to the unelected army of bureaucrats, responsible to no one and far outlasting the administrations and legislative careers of officials clearly and specifically charged with such duty, to promulgate bifurcated, incomprehensible 'regulations' with the force of law (I refer you to the current tax code).

Further, any 'law' (or regulation) - up to and including the U.S. Code - must conform, and be subservient to, the Constitution (as written and intended, but that's another argument), else it be null and void, and unenforceable on its face.

Using the mail as an example, the bulk of it was moved for years by rail, and when such was targeted by robbers, the armed mail clerks, often supplimented by armed citizens, were supplimented by detachments of Marines. When mail delivery moved from rail to air, the pilots were required by law to be armed, and again, as aircraft grew larger, the deterrent effect was supplimented by armed citizens - a situation that continued into the 1960s, when an anonymous bureaucracy disarmed pilots, and shortly thereafter, their passengers.

How, then, would it logically follow that such mail is 'protected' by any measure above (or any not cited) when, under bureaucratic mandate is it at no time - including the standing 'regulation' against United States Post Office, and later United States Postal Service, personnel who handle it from pickup to delivery - 'protected' by disarmed and unprotected individuals, in clear violation of logic, not to mention their supposed 'rights' under the Constitution?

There are still two separate and distinct issues: First, at what point does federal 'law' usurp the authority of the individual States, and second, under what rationalization does the Legislature abrogate its obligations as specified under Article I to 'agencies', 'bureaus' and 'administrations'?

[03_SHOOTER]

Originally Posted by HairyEyeball

There are still two separate and distinct issues: First, at what point does federal 'law' usurp the authority of the individual States,

That would have been that point in 1868 with the passage and ratification of the 14th Amendment wherein the States voluntarily ceded a goodly portion of their Rights.

Originally Posted by HairyEyeball

and second, under what rationalization does the Legislature abrogate its obligations as specified under Article I to 'agencies', 'bureaus' and 'administrations'?

That would be Article 1, Section 8 where in it states "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."

[HairyEyeball]

I've about had it with this 'new' software. For at least the eighth time, on three separate computers, it has reset the page in the middle of an essay. This is unacceptable.

[HairyEyeball]

The operative paragraph of Article 1, Section 8 reads: “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.” Whichever of the bureaus, agencies, departments, or ‘administrations’ you would choose to keep, none but a dictionary more cynical than Ambrose Bierce’s would define as either ‘necessary’ or ‘proper’, save by the loosest possible ‘interpretation’.

Further, while the timing, and circumstances surrounding the ratification of, Amendment XIV may have engendered emotional or ‘creative interpretation’ thereof, the operative paragraph reads: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Any unbiased reading will see it as a restatement and elucidation of Article VI: “This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding” (emphasis added).

Given the logic-challenged and educationally stunted condition of the current electorate, it serves to render obvious (at least in the legal jargon of the era) the clear intent to ensure that no subordinate government may restrict those rights and liberties guaranteed any and all citizens under the Constitution: State governments ceded that portion of their sovereignty – despite the vagaries of the Black Robes – the moment they voluntarily entered into the compact.

Article I, Section 8 also includes seventeen clear and distinct duties of the Legislature, none of which includes any variation, permutation, or authorization of the authority to appoint ‘bureaus, agencies, departments, or administrations’, divert public funds for the employment of any such staff as they may presume to require, and abrogate their sworn duties to: The bound duty of the Legislature is “To make all laws”. Let me repeat that: “All laws”.

Further, as any student of the Constitution should find glaringly obvious, the ‘departments’ referenced in the paragraph are those currently headed by Cabinet-level ‘Secretaries’: To wit, the Department of War, the Department of State – as well as the frivolous and 'questionable', such as ‘Departments’ as ‘Health and Human Services’, ‘Housing’ and ‘Education’ – none of which is a valid function of, or area authorized to the meddling – er, ‘administration’ - the federal government.