In the beginning there was the Three. The three were all powerful and all truth was filtered through the Three. The Three were known as ABC, CBS and NBC. Over time, alternatives to the Three come forward. Conservative talk radio, cable news outlets and the Internet allowed the truths once hidden by the Three to be shouted from the roof tops. Over time, the Three and their cronies in print saw their influence and power wane. It was no longer possible for them to twist the news to meet their political agenda without being called to task for it. Such a change is never welcome to despots. After years of wandering in the wilderness the Three have found their deliverer. The Obama administration along with the Hip-pocket Congress of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are working hard to end free speech in America with the “Fairness Doctrine.” This bold-faced effort to silence those who would stand against their leftist agenda to recreate America in the European image is everything the founders of our country fought against. (more…)

Our nation was founded by men who saw the abuses of Europe as an evil to be shunned. They fought to establish, not a Europe in North America, but a nation of states united for common cause, where sovereignty rested in the people instead of a prince. They understood that the import of European abuses would only lead to tyranny and serfdom so they established a Constitution to define and limit the central government. In effect the federal government is to be a perpetual servant—a slave if you will—of the people and the states. (more…)

President Obama and the Hip-pocket Congress are taking unprecedented steps to seize control of private sector firms, placing their assets under direct federal control. With plans to implement measures to permit government agencies to intercede in large publicly traded companies the push to state control of industry is at a fever pitch. Today’s news includes one such affront to a free market. At the request of the Obama administration, GM CEO Rick Wagoner resigned. This is just one example of the future we face with President Obama. Such is to be expected from Mr. Obama, since he has never worked in private industry, having made his living seeking political solutions to every problem. He can be excused for concluding government activism can make everyone as wealthy as it made him. (more…)

In political discussion, in the United States at least, there is one question that must be answered before any others are asked, when it comes to programs and actions of the Federal government. This week, the question was finally put to Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. This question is “What provision in the Constitution could you point to to give authority for the actions that have been taken.” Until this question is answered reasonably no program or action should proceed from Washington. (more…)

The wave of states demanding the federal government pull back to its constitutional limits is surging forward. The latest tally I have found is 33 states that have taken action or are considering doing so. The federal government for two long has run roughshod over the states and the rights of her citizens. It is high time the 10th amendment be bolstered and the cronies in Washington be reminded of its meaning. (more…)

The latest actions of our new president, funding embryonic stem cell research, has brought new attention to the fight over abortion. In the discussion, the amount of smoke blown by those supporting the unrestricted killing of children is amazing. Some will charge that how I framed that last is meant to inflame, but it is the sort of attack used regularly against the pro-life movement. (more…)

It has been popular over the last century to defend populist causes with a fluid interpretation of the Constitution. Attempts to find support for everything from abortion to welfare have been based on a “loose” interpretation of our founding document. This is actually as old as the document itself. Thomas Jefferson demanded a strict interpretation until he became president and loosened up for the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. For decades the largest constitutional battle was over a national bank. With our long history of the Federal Reserve and FDIC insurance we find this surprising, but the battle over this was of great constitutional significance. The problem was that the Constitution does not give Congress the power to create corporations, so according to the strict interpretation based on the Tenth Amendment only states could charter banks. Eventually this battle was dropped as more pressing problems came to the fore—like the Civil War. With the obliteration of the Tenth Amendment during reconstruction those demanding a strict interpretation of the Constitution were forced to retreat. (more…)

Since Reconstruction, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States has been ignored. For those not familiar with it, because state rights have not been taught in school for a long time, here is the text:

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” (more…)

A good friend of mine Daniel Lanotte has writte a great article on State’s Rights and posted it to his Carpentersmate Blog.

The founding fathers designed our federal system of government to be a balancing act. Sovereignty was to rest in the people but it would be expressed through two venues, their individual states and the federal government. The framers of our constitution and the bodies that ratified it were very concerned that the federal government not be able to ride rough-shod over the states. To prevent this they gave the states a say in federal legislation through a Senate of representatives selected by the State Legislatures. (more…)