Finally, let’s consider perhaps the most pressing current issue of all: the proposed increase in the national debt ceiling. I will vote against any increase in the debt ceiling because there needs to be a fundamental restructuring in how Washington spends taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, the Obama administration didn’t seem eager recently to quash the notion that the congressional power of the purse, as enumerated in Article One of the Constitution, is merely a detail that can be pettifogged away by sharp lawyers. On this issue, I stand with the clear thinking of former federal judge Michael McConnell, who wrote recently, “Section Four of the Fourteenth Amendment does not create a back-door method for the Administration to borrow more money without congressional authorization.” It’s that philosophy — a strict construction of the Constitution — that I will look for in judicial appointees and that I will bring back to the executive branch.

In the meantime, I will continue to oppose any increase in the debt limit; I will oppose the budgetary shenanigans aimed at persuading Americans that phony spending cuts are somehow real. Constitutional conservatives, and all conservatives, should draw a firm line here.