H.R. 509 - Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act

H.R. 509: Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2009. Cathy joined the environmentalist movement on this one. Only 70 Republicans voted against it. This bill would reauthorize the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004 which provided foreign aid to protect marine turtles and their habitat. The reauthorization in H.R. 509 would also allow assistance for domestic turtle habitats as well – you gotta love that Congress originally would fund money only to protect overseas turtles and not American turtles! Both provisions are ridiculous. First of all, all foreign aid is unconstitutional. There is no enumerated power whatsoever that authorizes any form of foreign aid. I challenge Cathy or anyone else to point to the clause in the Constitution that would authorize such. Moreover, there is no enumerated power that would authorize any protection of turtles by the federal government. Are we to believe that turtles are engaged in interstate or foreign commerce? This is just another illegal waste of taxpayer money. If people in the country want to help turtles, they can donate their private money to foundations set up for that purpose. The government has no business confiscating money from the public for the same purpose.