Quote:
Originally Posted by go bowe
brc, there's arguments both ways...
some argue that the language includes all public debt, since pensions and bounties for civil war are "included" rather than being the sole kind of public debt...
others argue that in the context of the amendment itself, it clearly refers to civil war era debts and by implication not public debt in general...
i think the constitution has grown a great deal at the supreme court and original intent is a lesser consideration in adjudicating constitutional rights...
imo, the president should seriously consider invoking the 14th amendment and tell congress to shove the debt ceiling...
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The debt ceiling is a limit on how much the treasury is authorized by Congress to borrow, not a limit on how much current debt will be repaid.
The 14th Amendment states that debts will be repaid (be it Civil War era or all debts), not that the Congress is somehow obligated to incur additional debt. The idea that the President could 'invoke' the 14th Amendment to require more borrowing is non-nonsensical.