| Abstrakt: |
I once saw a sample of the test that the Immigration and Naturalization Service gives to prospective new citizens of this country. One of the questions was: ''What are the duties of Congress?'' The correct answer was misleadingly simple: to make laws. One of the first things I did upon joining the Senate was to reread the Constitution, where the duties of the three branches of government in shaping the law are more explicit. The framers granted to Congress the responsibility to ''provide for the common defense and general welfare.'' The Constitution also gives the Congress myriad other powers, among them, ''to regulate commerce with foreign nations,'' ''to promote the progress of science and useful arts,'' and ''to define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas.'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] |
