Reid to the Rescue!

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I saw Senator Harry Reid being interviewed the other night on Fox News' "On the Record with Greta van Susteren".  The illustrious majority leader of the world’s greatest deliberative body seemed quite subdued, saddened by recent events, and he was considering legislation to remedy the situation. 

What could have put him in such a somber mood?  Was it perhaps the out of control deficit of about $16 trillion, exceeding the gross domestic product of the USA?  Maybe it was the highly classified intelligence leaks, which people on both sides of the aisle agree have severely damaged our national security?  Or maybe it is the increasingly disappointing employment numbers in light of the stalled economic “recovery”?

No, none of that.  The headline read:  “Reid disputes decision in Pacquiao fight, pushes for stalled boxing legislation”.  Of course I haven’t a clue who Pacquiao is because I don’t give a rodent’s posterior about boxing, but Mr. Reid apparently does.  Mr. Reid is himself a former amateur boxer and chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission.  What’s more, Pacquiao is a friend and political supporter.

Apparently, Mr. Pacquaio just lost a boxing match in a decision that most observers agree he should have won.  Now I did not see the fight (see my previous comments about how I feel about boxing), but I will grant for the sake of argument that Mr. Pacquaio was robbed of a victory that he was due. 

Now Mr. Reid did not accuse the referee of corruption or fixing the match.  He made it clear that this was simply a bad decision by an otherwise upstanding and respected referee.  Nevertheless, something needs to be done.  What is Mr. Reid’s proposed solution? 

"Senator McCain and I have been trying for years -- years -- to get a national boxing bill passed here," he said. "We have not been able to do it. Maybe this will be the impetus (for McCain and I to) get back, work on that again. I haven't had the chance to talk to him in the last 24 hours, but I will." 

But of course!  There is apparently not a problem in this world that cannot be fixed by federal legislation.  According to a follow-up article, “The bill in question would establish a National Boxing Commission to regulate the sport with health and safety standards. The first version of the bill set licensing standards for boxers, judges and referees and registration standards for promoters, trainers and others.”

Great idea!  Unfortunately, I am searching in vain for anything in Article I of the Constitution, or more specifically in Section 8 which enumerates the limited powers of Congress, for anything that suggests that it is within the purview of the federal government to regulate boxing.  Of course, this has never stopped them before from sticking their collective noses into every aspect of our lives, and they are likely to do so again, especially when RINO’s like Senator McCain seem all too eager to cooperate:

A McCain spokesman later told the Las Vegas Sun that the senator is considering introducing the bill again, and considers the Pacquiao-Bradley decision a "black mark" on boxing's reputation.

Unfortunately, the proposed legislation would be only the latest in a long history of black marks--not on the reputation of boxing--but on the integrity of an out of control federal government.