Chris Christie hides behind a political party principled in limited government, but always ends up showing his true statist colors.

In a recent press conference, Christie says doesn’t agree with states legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Nor does he believe that marijuana exists for medicinal purposes.

The Founders defined what form of government the United States were to become. In Federalist 39, Madison states,

A republican form of government is one of, “which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people, and is administered by persons holding their offices during pleasure, for a limited period, or during good behavior. It is essential to such a government that it be derived from the great body of the society, not from an inconsiderable proportion or a favored class of it; otherwise a handful of tyrannical nobles, exercising their oppressions by a delegation of their powers, might aspire to the rank of republicans, and claim for their government the honorable title of republic.”

Governor Christie hails from the favored class, the political elite, and has hijacked the term “republican.” Statists like Christie wallow in the despair when nullification chips away at this vision of consolidated states.

Those who have transformed our republican form of government into a consolidation of states preach many falsehoods. And we have believed them.

Some of our favored class has told us that the national government dictates to the states any law it can dream up. And we have believed it.

Some of our nobility have told us that marijuana is not an approved form of medication or recreational drug. And we have believed it.

In Federalist 39, Madison simply defines what form of government we have,

The act, therefore, establishing the Constitution will not be national but a federal act.

The separation of powers between the state and federal governments are clearly defined. Laws made by the US Congress are to be necessary and proper to carry out the powers defined by the Constitution. The rest are left to the states. Regulating medicine nor recreational drugs are among the powers delegated to the federal government.

Madison reminds us in Federalist 46, that “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.”

Many states have chosen to stop believing in the centralized government vision and want to return back to the founder’s vision of a confederation of sovereign states. They have stopped enforcing the federal government’s schedule 1 dictation from the Controlled Substances Act controlled by appointed members of executive agencies like the DEA and FDA.

As more and more states stop taking orders from a centralized government, statists like Christie become the pariah. An out-dated fool who doesn’t see that 21 of the 50 states have changed their policy on medical marijuana. Two states have changed their constitution and passed recreational use of marijuana. He doesn’t even see a state as being sovereign.

This is not the first time the people of the states ended unjust laws. Back in the 1920’s, federal agents poisoned alcohol to show the public the danger. And, even with gross acts rendered onto the public, prohibition was repealed because many people saw it as illegitimate and unjust. Today, the elites cry of the evils and punish marijuana users and dealers with mandatory minimum sentences that decimate peoples lives. Today, just as then, states are saying to the federal government, marijuana laws are illegitimate and unjust.

Each “No” will be challenged. But following the path of nullification, unjust laws will  ultimately be rendered unenforceable.

The Tenth Amendment Center’s Mike Maharrey tackled how nullification wins in his blog post of the Department of Justice,

“Don’t for a minute think that the feds backed off because Holder and company are soft on weed. The Obama administration has spent more on enforcement measures and conducted more marijuana raids than any president in U.S. history. But when the people of the states resist in big numbers – the feds lose – just like Madison envisioned.”

Refuse to believe in a centralized government. Dare to say no to unjust laws.

 

Kelli Sladick

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