Surprise: Law Professor Misinterprets Supremacy Clause
Have you ever read an article that you were not sure what stance the author takes on the subject but presents both sides of the argument at once? I had the distinguished experience recently when I was reading the article titled “Sheriffs, State Lawmakers Push Back on Gun Control” on the Newsmax website (see: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Gun-Control-Pushback/2013/01/17/id/471825). [...]
Federalism and the 10th: The State Reclamation Begins
The state governments are now beginning in earnest to do something about the encroaching federal government. Way back in 1994 when the “Republican Revolution” was taking place in Congress the Republican Governors Association (RGA) “adopted” a sort of “declaration of independence” for themselves. From Congress we got the “Contract with America” and from the RGA [...]
Federalism and the 10th: The States’ Great Awakening
In Part 1 of this series, I explained how our federalism works and how the powers were divided between the states and our national government. The details showed that the states were superior to the federal government on the hierarchy scale and that the 10th amendment protected that position whenever the federal government stepped outside [...]
Federalism and the 10th: How It Works
What we are witnessing all around the country is a political revolution. As time goes by, the revolution will grow huge, into a massive historical event. The people are beginning to understand what is going on, and are starting to take the necessary steps to reestablish their correct place and boundaries in our federalist system. [...]
VIDEO: A Rousing Defense of the Constitution and Nullification
At a time when the Republican establishment is doing everything they can to alienate their constituents, and nullification measures are getting introduced around the country, it becomes more important than ever to step up and put our best foot forward when presenting our ideas to citizens desperately looking for a way to fight back against [...]
EPA to World’s Hungry: “Let Them Eat Cake”
Ethanol corn mandates are not just useless. When people are starving, these policies make the problem worse. Much worse. What’s the number one reason we riot? The plausible, justifiable motivations of trampled-upon humanfolk to fight back are many—poverty, oppression, disenfranchisement, etc—but the big one is more primal than any of the above. It’s hunger, plain [...]
Name Calling and “Tenther Nullification Nonsense” in Arizona
AzBlueMeanie claims in the article Neoconfederate insurrectionists in Arizona Legislature revive discredited ‘nullification’ theory that: All elected officials in Arizona take the following oath of office: “I do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the State of Arizona, that I will bear true [...]
If You Have an Ally, Don’t Go It Alone
Cross posted from the Pennsylvania Tenth Amendment Center. There is a point that I think I’ve been trying to get to for much of the time that I’ve been working with the Tenth Amendment Center. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ve done a very good job at getting there. I’ve written a few articles that skirted [...]
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 [...]
Understanding The 10th Amendment
The “winners” write the history, and always in favor of their side of the “argument”. Government’s job is to “control” the people. Control takes power and power comes at a price: the people’s liberty. In a nutshell, government power stands as the enemy of liberty. And when it comes to the war between power and [...]
Apr 26, 2013 | Categories:Big Government, Commentary, Constitution, Delegated Powers, Founding Fathers, Founding Principles, History, Liberty, Nullification, State Sovereignty, Tenthers | Tags: 10th Amendment, articles of confederation, Bush, Constitution, Government, Obama, States Rights, states sovereignty | 5 Comments »