The constitution: What the Founders intended

Liberals and conservatives are locked in a battle over how to interpret the U.S. Constitution. It's not the first time

A Texas Tea Party rally: Conservative Republicans and Tea Partiers argue the federal government has exceeded the limits intended by the constitution.
(Image credit: Getty)

What's the fight about?

Power and who gets to exercise it. Tea Party adherents and many conservative Republicans argue that the federal government has vastly exceeded limits that the Founders built into the U.S. Constitution, seizing authority over individuals and private businesses. Specifically, conservatives say the federal government had no constitutional authority to bail out private banks and auto companies with taxpayer dollars, or to adopt a sweeping heath-care-reform law that will eventually require some Americans to purchase insurance. "We believe the Constitution has been discarded almost entirely by this Democratic Congress and administration," says Tea Party leader Michael Johns.

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