A few days ago the annotated version of George Washington’s copy of the Constitution sole for nearly $10 million — $9,826,000, to be precise. That price was paid by the very genteel sounding Mt. Vernon Ladies’ Association.
That seems like a lot of money, until you start to think about it. This particular volume was published in 1789, and was prepared specifically for George Washington. George Washington! It’s nice to know that, not only did we once have leaders like George Washington, but they also read and carefully annotated their personal copies of the Constitution. (Of course, the linked article describes the book as being in almost pristine condition, which might mean that George Washington didn’t crack it for leisure reading all that often.)
Wouldn’t you love to know what George Washington wrote in his notes to various provisions of the Constitution? Did he have anything interesting to say about the Commerce Clause? What did he think would ultimately be the role of the Supreme Court? A book with George Washington’s notes on the Constitution would be some fascinating living history
The explanation for this trend is that our Constitution is miserly when it comes to guaranteeing “rights.” 
Judge Henry Hudson concluded that the individual mandate “exceeds the constitutional boundaries of congressional power.” He found that the commerce clause, which gives Congress the authority to regulate interstate commerce, does not permit Congress to regulate a person’s decision not to purchase a product. Although there are other court rulings that have upheld the “health care reform” legislation, Judge Hudson’s decision is significant because it reflects an interesting approach to skirting the broad powers afforded Congress through the commerce clause. In effect, Judge Hudson is saying that if individuals choose not to purchase a good or service they are not engaged in commerce, and therefore they necessarily are beyond Congress’ regulatory power under the commerce clause.
If I recall my high school Civics class correctly, the House was supposed to reflect the passions of the American people, but the Senate was supposed to be largely immune from those passions. In this election, it looks like the House results are reflecting the passions, as the Framers intended. In many states, the House Democrats who voted in favor of broad expansions of federal governmental power and significant deficit spending are being wiped out. The message in favor of a smaller, less intrusive, less costly federal government seems clear.
When White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about Roberts’ comments, 
