Oklahoma governor puts taxpayers’ money where her mouth is
Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin just set an important precedent. By rejecting $54.6 million in federal money to begin implementation of ObamaCare, the governor has firmly set herself against the unconstitutional law and with the citizens of her state. From Fox News: To make it clear Oklahoma will develop its own plan, the state will not accept a $54.6 million [...]
South Carolina reps see the light on Commerce Clause
Two state representatives in South Carolina are pushing back against a federal ban of incandescent light bulbs set to begin in January of 2012. There is no constitutional authority for Congress to impose such a ban on the citizens of the several states, and it’s nice that South Carolina noticed. From NetRightDaily: “State Representatives Sandifer and Loftis are taking the lead [...]
Why Tenthers are Projected as Extreme and What We can do about It
If our Movement revels in its maverick persona, then, we will remain divisive. In sports, divisive is fun. In politics, divisive is fun, but if we are sincere in our desire to win over the population, then, we need to take the sport out of it. There are certain pitches in our message which water [...]
A Doorway to Hell
In an earlier article for this website I’ve written about the non-coercion principle and how it is connected to individual liberty and morality itself. I laid out the reasons why moral rules that we hold dear are really products of individual liberty by using the imagery from Lord of the Rings. It was a little [...]
Has Congress Become Useless?
Gene Healy writes: Has Congress become “a useless appendix on the governmental structure”? That was what then-Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. J. William Fulbright, D-Ark., feared in 1968, according to newly released transcripts from the committee’s closed-session debates over Vietnam. Unless Congress was willing to assert itself on the war, he said, “I do [...]
Servants or Masters?
I am an American. I am a disabled Vietnam veteran. I mention that for a couple of reasons. Being a veteran has deeply magnified my appreciation to live in the greatest country in the world. As a veteran I did take an oath to serve and protect the Constitution of the greatest country in the [...]
Should the Government Promote Fishing?
A Cato essay on special-interest spending explains how many federal programs deliver subsidies to particular groups of individuals and businesses while harming taxpayers and damaging the overall economy. A major reason why spending has spun out of control in Washington is that thousands of special interest groups have secured a slice of the spending pie, [...]
Why are States’ Rights so important?
Here’s the latest book from Walter Kennedy – and his brother James:
A few questions for the left
Have you ever read the entire U.S Constitution? Do you believe the constitution is still relevant today? Why is it OK for the government to take one families hard earned labor to give to someone else? How much money is too much? Who should decide how much is too much? What level of federal taxation [...]
Californians Could Learn a Thing or Two From the Swiss
Examples of centralized control are spoken of frequently- Cuba, USSR and China are the most common. While it is important to know what not to do as a people, it is even more important to study examples of decentralized nations and the practical benefits of limited, local governance. Switzerland is one such place, as described [...]
Never Forget
One thing that was edited out of my latest cover article from The New American due to space constraints is something we should never forget when it comes to the issue of “federal funding.” Whenever you hear a centralist, whether from the left or the right, telling you that the federal government should cut off [...]
NY Times Dislikes Anti-Government Movement
The serfs pause in picking the regime’s crops. They raise their heads, and look piercingly at the handsome tax-eater castle on the hill, and wonder about the justice of their plight. The tax-eaters, always unsure of their control over the serfs anyway, grow more nervous, and one of their house organs, the NY Times, expresses [...]
What the heck is Federalism?
Americans have discovered or invented many significant things, but by far, the most significant is federalism. It is uniquely American and it has led to the most free and prosperous society in the history of civilization. The single most important principle of government that sets America apart from the rest of the world, is federalism. [...]
Nullification, Secession, and the Human Scale of Political Order
For three days last week, on the third floor of the Francis Marion Hotel in downtown Charleston, SC, a group of scholars have been meeting to discuss the history of nullification and secession in American law and politics, and the continued relevance of those concepts today. I had the privilege of joining them for the [...]
The Feds Can’t Deliver the Goods
Ron Paul on CNN’s AC360 last week talking about the public’s growing discontent with government.
Conservative or Liberal: Pick Your Poison
Human nature and history teach us that political labels are used to influence society to accomplish a certain political end. Many times, words used to describe original principles are somehow conquered or hijacked and then proclaimed to be a part of those original principles, but are realistically far from them. As I was growing up, [...]
The Real National Debate: Hamilton vs Jefferson
Perhaps the status quo is no longer holding; people are growing more and more dissatisfied with their options, whether democrat or republican. The truth is, the current two-party system always leaves one half of a country ticked off and feeling oppressed. This begs the question; is this really what the Founders intended 233 years ago [...]
Anti-Constitution Libertarians
This is just the opening salvo in what I hope to be a friendly and cordial debate among liberty enthusiasts regarding what role “constitutionalism” has to play in the future of the movement to fight statism and restore the protection of individual rights. A recurring theme I’ve encountered is the schism between pro-Constitution libertarians and [...]
Liars, Thieves, Kidnappers, and Murderers
No, I am not referring to some mafia family, I am referring to your federal government. There are a lot of similarities between between those in charge in Washington DC, compared with the worst mafias in history. There are several enterprises that any mafia partakes in; drug trafficking, arms trafficking, loan sharking, control of contracting, [...]
The Real Solution
Writes Marc Stevens: The people who run and support the health care system who don’t want the government takeover just have to refuse to cooperate with the people calling themselves “government”. That’ll send Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid a short, but effective message: Pass whatever “law” you want – we won’t comply. Impose your [...]
More Government Won’t Help
After decades of government run-schooling, it’s little surprise that for every problem this country faces, people look to the government for solutions…many times to problems caused by the government itself. But, Ron Paul, in a recent speech before Congress, brilliantly points out how problems caused 45 years of government mismanagement in health care cannot be [...]
Question of the Day: Legitimacy and Obedience
Ok, so it’s actually two questions, but they go hand in hand. From Paul Hein at Strike the Root: 1. If governmental action is NOT in accord with the Constitution, is the government legitimate? 2. If a government is not legitimate, can it command your obedience? My answers? ”No” and “only by force.”
