Nationalized Health Care is it Constitutional?

I've been reading online that there are at least 5 states preparing legislation should the health care plan go through as Obama 'wants it'. Should this legislation pass on a state level it would over ride the Federal Level and it would make the 'nationalized health care' null and void in that state.

The argument?

What powers are given to the federal government by the Constitution.
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#A1Sec8

Lets take a look at what Article 1 section 8 of the constitution says the powers granted to congress are: (this is a direct cut and paste from the above link)

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Where does it say that Congress can establish health care, or nationalized health care. And if it is out of Congress's limits to do heath care, what about Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare? Should these programs be slowly turned over to the states to handle individually instead of the government.

I am sorry but Social Security is bankrupt with no thanks to the Federal Government, years of mismanagement and borrowing against it.

Do people in Congress take the statement literally in the first clause? And believe that they are responsible for every citizen of this country. I would ask that does that mean that when our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence that our pursuit of happiness is guaranteed?

No it doesn't, and I don't think Congress should take interpreting this as a blessing to take on the task of managing millions of people's health care.

Over the years this document has been interpreted in many different ways by many different people.

An interesting question has been posed by some conservative web sights, asking if Nationalized health care is constitutional. And if I were to read the constitution and take what it said literally I would have to say no.

But how do you feel that the phrase 'general welfare' applies to Nationalized Health care.

Copyright ©2009 m.muccioli

(I have cited both the constitution and the website as required)