What is he doing in Congress?

The Augusta ChronicleThis Congress isn’t just openly flouting the U.S. Constitution.They’re openly admitting it.Rep. Phil Hare, D-Ill., was recently caught on video saying — despite his oath to the contrary — that he doesn’t care whether the new health-care law is constitutional.When pressed about the constitutionality of the law, Hare says, starkly, “I don’t worry about the Constitution on this, to be honest.”Wow.Hare argues that he worries more about “the people who are dying every day out there that don’t have health care.” Surely he knows what a specious, cynical claim that is: No one in America goes without health care, not even illegal immigrants. That’s the law, and it’s rigidly observed in the health-care field. Those who can’t pay get it free. Period.Then, to join ignorance of the Constitution with his contempt for it, Hare says, “I believe that it says we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”One big problem: That phrase emanates from the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution.When reminded of that, Hare shrugs, “That doesn’t matter to me. Either one.”Either one? As if the country’s documents are interchangeable? Wow. More about that in a moment.Pressed again about where the Constitution authorizes this bill, Hare says dismissively, “I don’t know. I don’t know.”Where does one begin? How about with impeachment? This is a member of Congress who openly, willingly and voluntarily admits he doesn’t care about the Constitution, as long as he gets his noble way.If we had 535 members of Congress who felt that way — and the number is currently over half — then what would the Constitution even mean? If Congress can go wherever it wants, so long as its roads are paved with good intentions, why is a Constitution even necessary? We’re just making it up as we go along!Meanwhile, the gentleman from Illinois can’t even differentiate between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.That’s another, very profound point: Rep. Hare wants to rest the health-care law’s validity on a phrase from the nonbinding Declaration of Independence — but he says the Constitution need not apply in this case.This is the type of person we have making laws in Washington today, folks.So is Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga. — who was filmed recently worrying that adding more Marines and their families to Guam might make the Pacific island tip over and capsize.We said earlier of Johnson’s inanity that it’s America, instead, that may be in danger of capsizing.Phil Hare is a much better example of that very real danger.