Federalist Paper #23

     In order to provide a "common defense" the federal government needs the ability to raise armies, build and equip fleets, regulate and direct their operations and provide support to them (financial and otherwise). Hamilton felt these powers should have no limit since it is impossible to predict future national emergencies. Therefore, there should not be a lot of constitutional restrictions in dealing with the "common defense and general welfare" but the federal government should not be allowed to pass the buck (so to speak) to the states either, requiring quotas and requisitions from them. The federal government needed to have its responsibilities (national security being probably the most important) spelled out, but it also needed to be given the power and ability to carry them out.

     The founders desired to grant full power to the government to do its jobs well, but those jobs must also be defined well in order to prevent it from having too much power in areas it has no business. The federal government encroaching on state and local authorities is far too common today. By stretching the meaning of "common defense and general welfare" and other phrases modern governmental agencies (that probably shouldn't exist in the first place) are able to convince decision makers somehow that if Farmer John kills a pocket gopher for example our "general welfare" somehow suffers.