When Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., was told during a July 24 town hall meeting with constituents that he and public officials like him were “destroying this nation,” he smirkingly replied, “And I guess you’re here to save it. And that makes me very uncomfortable.” This derision of a constituent was particularly poignant, considering that the questioner had only asked what limits would remain on the federal government if Congress could get away with passing a bill as destructive of individual rights as Obamacare. Stark responded that “I think that there are very few constitutional limits that would prevent the federal government from rules that could affect your private life.” He was roundly booed, but then given another opportunity to respond. He observed that “the federal government, yes, can do most anything in this country.”

Unfortunately, Stark’s extreme views are common among the current congressional majority. Still, we have no doubt that those who wrote the Constitution would be astounded to hear such monarchical attitudes today since they were exactly what the American Revolution was fought to overcome.