Real Thought

Comment by T.L. Stanley

July 20, 2006 @ 2:45

You say, “Aren’t there more pressing issues which require the President’s attention? What about that little dust up in the Middle East? How about cutting government waste? What about the current national energy crisis?”

Yes indeed, there are more pressing issues. President Bush needs to focus on some real important stuff. Maybe he should start by getting all the terrorist out of America. Then, figure a way to keep them out. Maybe a good homeland security program would be helpful. Oh my, I almost forgot, he is working on this.

Good Post. Take care.

Comment by Jason

July 20, 2006 @ 5:18

First of all, it’s not the President that thinks the stem cell research issue is more pressing than the war, it’s the Congress. They are the ones who chose to bring this issue up now. President Bush is forced to act within 10 days of Congressional passage of the Bill or it automatically becomes law.

As for wasteful spending, funding embryonic stem cell research would be wasteful. Adult and chord blood stem cell research has been shown to get results quicker and that’s what we should be funding. In fact, I think there might be a bill pending that has to do with banking umbilical chord blood for research, let’s get that one passed if we’re going to fund stem cell research with federal dollars.

If embryonic stem cell research is the salvation of humanity then private companies should be willing to fund the research because they’ll make billions of dollars later on. (Maybe Buffett and Gates would be willing to step in?)

Comment by James

July 20, 2006 @ 11:25

Regardless of the moral implications of stem cell research (and they are many) the fundamental issue is that federal funding of stem-cell research would be unconstitutional. What article gives the federal government the authority to spend one dime on medical research of any kind? (Of course, lack of constitutional authoity has rarely stopped the behemoth that we’ve elected from doing whatever it wants…or whatever will get votes.)

Comment by Doug

July 20, 2006 @ 17:47

Jason,

If we look at this from a strict constructionist viewpoint ther you are correct, there is no Constitutional provision for funding stem cell research. Then again, there is no constitutional provision for school bussing, judicial review, the entire Department of Education, NASA, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health and a host of other federal programs. Yet they exist. My preference would be to start by cutting the federal budget by about 1/3rd, but that isn’t going to happen. I posted this becasue I thought that this was a fairly strange issue to pick for the fist veto in GW. Bush’s presidency.

Comment by James

July 21, 2006 @ 7:37

Being a constructionist I was looking at it from that viewpoint. And yes, there is no Constitutional authority for all the things you mention. And they should be done away with. Their mere existence does not justify them. Since the 14th Amendment was illegally “ratified” our whole Constitution is “unconstitutional” and every statute or judgement based on that amendment should be struck down or overturned. But that isn’t going to happen either.

I agree with you 100%. This was an unusual issue for Bush to make a stand on, constitutionally. Especially considering all the anti-conservative, pro-big government, pro-social program legislation his signed and even championed. But his veto is based on moral grounds not Constitutional ones.