When I was a child I would sometimes hear someone say: “Pray to St. Jude.” [the patron saint of lost causes] when the subject came up about some perceived lost cause or another.
I have a few lost causes to add to that neverending prayer list: my state of Iowa’s elected officials in Washington. (Most of Iowa’s own state legislators and senators are another story, for another time.) What prompted my recent dismay was a short article that appeared in my local paper. This news note stated that Senator Charles Grassley was “…glad the Obama Administration came to its senses.” Ol’ Chuck’s gladness was in reference to the Labor Department’s decision to withdraw its regulations that would have placed strict restrictions on teenage and younger people working on family farms.
Now, you would think that I would be glad that Chuck was glad. Well, maybe I would have been a few years ago, but not now. Blame the Tenth Amendment Center for that. Anyway, piqued by Chuck’s response on this issue, I searched the Web site of the other Iowa Senator, Tom (too good for Iowa) Harkin, and heard…crickets chirping.
Surely my Congressman, Bruce Braley, must have something to say on this issue. Nope. More cricket action. I couldn’t believe it. You’d think that he and Tom would be glad–just like Chuck–since they represent a lot of farmers.
I don’t know about Tom and Bruce, but it’s highly unlikely that they tote around a copy of the Constitution like I’ve heard Chuck does. Good for them! They would be even bigger hypocrites if they did. Back to Chuck. Being a “constitutionalist,” he should not be “glad” that the Department of Labor withdrew its young working farmer regulation. Why? Because his gladness is pathetic. He sounds like he’s grabbing his master’s hands and kissing them, happy that his master has acquiesced to something that Chuck feels strongly about.
What Chuck and all his federal bretheren should actually be doing is actively shutting down the DOL (defunding works) as well as the other alphabet soup of unconstitutional departments and agencies. I won’t give them a list. All they need do is consult the Constitution–specifically Article 1, Section 8–and start striking out the interlopers.
Since I’m not going to hold my breath that my elected federal representatives will actually honor their oaths to the Constitution, I’ll just keep concentrating on my state’s elected officials to push back against a bloated, power-mad federal government. There’s hope at the state level as evidenced by victories against the fed in other states.
One can continue to pray for lost causes–especially the trio I’ve mentioned–but there are 50 causes that aren’t lost. They, and the power they wield, have been rediscovered thanks largely to the Tenth Amendment Center.
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