<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> Dave Sill <sparge@gmail.com> <br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, June 29, 2020 6:29 PM<br><b>To:</b> ExI chat list <extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org><br><b>Cc:</b> Spike Jones <spike@rainier66.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [ExI] The Japanese mystery: why so few COVID cases?<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Mon, Jun 29, 2020 at 8:48 PM spike jones via extropy-chat <<a href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org">extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><div><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Show us anything in the constitution which would empower the federal government do to anything about this. States can. States do. The Fed cannot, and it does not.<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></blockquote><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce_Clause">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce_Clause</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><i>The Commerce Clause describes an enumerated power listed in the United States Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power "[t]o regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes." </i><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>So they need merely claim they're controlling interstate commerce.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>This is the source of the federal Drug War.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>-Dave<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hi Dave,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Agree, I should have clarified my question. This Commerce Clause refers to what congress can do. If we grant in principle that the congress could theoretically act to control the pandemic, they will not. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This is an important point, for we hear Americans complaining about businesses staying open during shutdown orders are flouting the law. Congress never passed any laws on shutting down anything. The California state legislature never passed any laws regarding any shutdowns, or anything related to the pandemic (as far as I know.) Businesses staying open during the pandemic are breaking no laws, for there are no laws on that topic.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Legislatures make laws. Governors and presidents do not and cannot. Executive orders are not laws. As soon as you hear the name of a politician in any discussion on the pandemic, you immediately know the person uttering that name has the primary interest in leveraging a crisis into a political opportunity. This is crass and inappropriate.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I agree the US legislature could theoretically act, but it hasn’t. The California legislature could act, but hasn’t.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>