I’d like to clarify our role here at the Tenth Amendment Center.  We are many times falsely referred to as a “Libertarian Think-Tank,” but this is a somewhat false assertion. The Tenth Amendment is a non-partisan rule of construction. It simply asserts what the Federal govt. is allowed to do, (and for the most part – what the statesare allowed to do).  Thus, it can just as easily be cited to justify a state’s desire to legislate auto emissions as it would be to assert 2nd Amendment rights amongst conservatives.  It can just as easily assert the right to death “with dignity,” or to recall the State National Guard as to assert healthcare freedom.

So, when we evaluate the “Tenth Amendment movement,” we need to keep in mind that what we think of the Tenth is by extension what we think of the Constitution.  If we are to disparage local control via the Tenth, we need to question our very charter as a nation. What the Tenth Amendment is essentially saying is that small communities across the nation have a right to govern themselves (or ourselves) in a manner that, to us, seems most likely to protect our inalienable rights, as are mentioned in the Declaration of Independence.

This gets to my central point.  On a lot of items we can be at odds with the Conservative movement, or the Liberal (statist) movement even on items which in other instances we are working for the same effect.  These differences are regardless of the fact that I may be personally in favor of or against them.  The difference’s do however, get to the very issue which has for the last century torn this republic apart. We absolutely need to get back to local control! On all issues which are primarily of local concern, the local government needs to be defaulted to.  If we decide that the Federal govt. needs to govern an area not called for in the Constitution, then we need to pass an Amendment to make it legal for the feds to do so.  To do any less, and still allow the Federal govt. to rule in these areas, is to accept lawlessness on the part of the general government!  This allows for unlimited tyrannical govt. to rule.

So, apologies for those who wish to use the Federal govt. as a political weapon to strike back at their enemies, but for me to take part in this is to continue the destructive pattern of centralization of all power in the hands of the central govt.  This would not be the actions of a Libertarian any more than it would be to sanction the confiscation of weaponry or the outlawing of speech.

 

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