“Its sole purpose was to spell out what the government can do.”
Not really. It also says what the federal government can’t do. For instance, it can’t
“Their comments don’t track straight.”
Your problem is with the language “applies to the federal government”. The Constitution proclaims itself the supreme law of the land, and therefore applies to the states as well as the government. But the spirit of the prevfious poster’s words are accurate. The Constitution by and large dictates the powers of the federal government. The phrase about powers “prohibited by it to the States” refers to powers out of reach of the states by virtue of their having been delegated to the feds.
There are also various powers expressly denied to the states. For instance, the ability to establish non-republican governments. Some sweeping denials of power apply to the feds and the states at once, for instance the 13th and 14th amendments. However, I think more often than not, the phrase about powers “prohibited by it to the States” refers to powers out of reach of the states by virtue of their having already been delegated to the feds.
For the record, the previous poster took the words (“Our View of the Tenth Amendment”) from the source at www.populistamerica.com/10th_amendment .
Your problem is with the language “applies to the federal government”.
My problem is that I see an internal contradiction in “Our View of the Tenth Amendment” as it begins by implying the Constitution applies only to the Federal Government and stating the sole purpose of the Constitution was to spell out what the government can do but then quotes the Tenth Amendment which addresses the States and at least implies things that the States can do, (exercise powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States).
If the sole purpose of the Constitution was to spell out what the Federal Government can do it would not mention what is reserved to the States or the people.
I believe the Constitution has application to the Federal Government and the States and that it spells out things the Federal Government both can and can not do.
The folks at ThePopulistParty website need to get things like that right. We all have to get things like that right if this effort is to prevail.