Posted on 02/07/2009 6:34:16 AM PST by nuconvert
You may not have heard much about it, but there's a quiet movement afoot to reassert state sovereignty in America and stop the uncontrolled expansion of federal government power. Almost half of the state legislatures are considering or have representatives preparing to introduce resolutions which reassert the principles of the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Constitution and the idea that federal power is strictly limited to specific areas detailed in the Constitution and that all other governmental authority rests with the states.
-excerpt-
There's a lot of excitement about these bills, but there are also a lot of misconceptions, with people claiming that some states have already declared sovereignty and that the movement is much farther along than it really is. Contrary to popular rumor, none of the states has actually enacted a sovereignty law yet. Some have come close. Oklahoma's bill passed their lower house overwhelmingly but stalled in the Senate last fall and is being held over for consideration in the new year.
Contrary to the fantasies of some extremists, these sovereignty bills are not the first step towards secession or splitting up the union, nor are they an effort to block collection of the income tax, appealing though that might be. For the most part, they are not so much political statements of independence as they are expressions of fiscal authority directed specifically at the growing cost of unfunded mandates being placed upon the states by the federal government. Despite the movement picking up steam as he came to office, the target of these bills is not President Obama, but rather the Democrat-dominated Congress whose plans for massive bailouts and expanded social programs are likely to come at an enormous cost to the states.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogcritics.org ...
the first step toward state sovereignty is to repeal the 17th amendment, and put the constitution back in order
It’s a nice thought but as long as we pay Federal Taxes, the Feds have us over a bale. “Set you speed at XX or you won’t get highway funds” is a good example.
I can see Zero calling in the Service Chiefs and asking them if in the event of civil unrest they would order their troops to fire on unarmed American civilians. If they say no, a search will begin for their replacements.
Is that when the State appoints the Senator? So they represent the State instead of a political party?
“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of each State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.”
correct...prior to passage of the 17th, the state legislators voted and appointed the senators, that kept all elections local, as the person you sent to the state would be the ones appointing the people representing your state in the senate....once the general election of senators was made the law of the land, the political parties took control of what once was a state issue....
The first step in reasserting state sovereignty is to refuse any federal funding. The Golden Rule in politics is “He who has the gold, rules.” The federal government should keep its hands off state revenues and its nose out of state affairs not enumerated in the US Constitution, as per the Tenth Amendment. Our Founders were not fools. They feared a strong central government, and they were right.
The only power the Federals have are bribes or the threat of force. If they can't bribe (no money) will they resort to the other?
The fix will not come from DC, but from the state taking control of their citizens destinies again, by being beholden to the people and not DC.
This movement is the salvation of the country in my opinion.
We must support it state by state
That sounds like a good idea. That way you would have the state intrest served. How often could they change tem in for a new model? Why did they change it to a regular election?
Convert the interstates to toll roads and let the feds keep their funds.
Count on it. Power is everything to these people.
Does anyone know if there is a states rights ping list? If so I would like to be added.
~ 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. ~
—Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—
“Any objective observer can see that the Tenth Amendment is the most widely violated provision of the bill of rights. If it had been enforced, America would be an astonishingly different country. Today’s atmosphere of big government, ever-expanding entitlement programs, and bloated spending threaten to undermine the very basis of American liberty and self-reliance.
To bring about positive social change and to strengthen our most effective and efficient social institutions, we must rein in government, reject calls for expanded entitlement programs, and demand that government intervenes in only very limited ways and only when absolutely necessary.
The greatest advances of civilization, whether in architecture or painting, in science and literature, in industry or agriculture, have never come from centralized government.”
~ Milton Friedman ~
if i recall my history correctly, a coupla times a state would not reach a concensus on a senator, so that state had no representation in the senate, or the movement to elected senators was started and passed....
This is fantastic!
But why did the states have to wait until the Dims control both houses of Congress & the Presidency before doing this?
Oh, I see....the Republicans respected state sovereignty, the 9th & 10th Amendments, limited federal power over the states, & were opposed to the concentration of power into a centralized government! Riiiiiiiiiiiight........
ABSOLUTELY....the 17th Amendment did more damage to our federal system of government than anyone has ever imagined. It’s got to go!
The Founding Fathers intended for the state legislatures to have their own representation in the Senate in order to keep government decentralized & as close to the people & local governments as possible (that’s my take on it anyway)...& the 17th totally destroyed that balance of power.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.