Posted on 02/10/2010 9:17:09 AM PST by Jim Robinson
Washington (CNN) -- Their message is loud and clear: Big government is out of control; states need to take back their constitutional rights.
A movement has been growing over the past two years of urging states to exert their rights under the 10th Amendment. The Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, states: "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." A number of states have passed resolutions that assert their rights. While the resolutions have no legal teeth, they're intended to carry a message: States' rights are being trampled on.
The anger behind the so-called 'Tenther' movement comes from what advocates see as the federal government's forcing policies on the states -- most notably on health care reform, economic recovery measures and social issues.
But critics of the movement say the resolutions go too far by nullifying or ignoring federal laws.
After the Georgia Senate's move in April 2009 for sovereignty, Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jay Bookman wrote that this push has a "particularly nasty legacy."
"It helped precipitate the Civil War, and in the 1950s and early '60s it was cited by Southern states claiming the right to ignore Supreme Court rulings ordering the end of segregation," he wrote.
Bookman added: "You have to question the judgment of those who would have any truck whatsoever with such nonsense and who would jeopardize the reputation of the Georgia Senate to lend aid and comfort to such radical causes and fringe groups."
Other critics point out that if states want to send a clear message to Washington -- and not just pass resolutions -- they would refuse federal money or other services...
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
When an all-consuming Federal Blobocracy does exist, the people shall be obligated to rein it in and return it to its proper and legal functions assigned under the Constitution.
Would you rather a state ignore a civil rights law or an entire country ignore it , you moron.?
Bump!
As per another poster on here (I forget who coined the phrase), I sometimes call the Obama supporters “fisters,” after Kevin Jennings.
BTTT
“It helped precipitate the Civil War, and in the 1950s and early ‘60s it was cited by Southern states claiming the right to ignore Supreme Court rulings ordering the end of segregation,” he wrote.
You associate a position with something that is universally abhored (slavery and Jim Crow laws in this instance), then you can turn people against the position.
We need to come up with a solid answer to this technique. Otherwise the left will turn this into a referendum on racism, not the 10th amendment.
The ignoring of the Tenth Amendment, and the marginalization of those few of us who understand the intent of a LIMITED federal government--that is the root problem of the Big Government that has been spiraling increasingly out of control since the beginning of FDR's administration 77 years ago.
BTW, I prefer "Tenth Amendment constitutional conservative" to "Tenther," since "Tenther" could be used as a way to marginalize us constitutional conservatives as kooks.
“particularly nasty legacy.”
. . . but the over-reach and near bankrupting of our country, the selll-out of our culture for political control,the big-government, big-business, big-labor alliance against the people, and the bribery of non-productive citizenry for political control is not a nasty legacy???? . . . give me a break
Governor Perry is leading a tenth amendment town hall here in Texas on Monday.
Unfortunately ever since Marbury v. Madison, the Constitution is what the Supreme Court says it is even when the decision is by a 5/4 margin. Short of having the SC reverse prior decisions as they pertain to broad interpretations of the Commerce Clause, there isn’t much that can be legislated and be upheld by the courts.
10th. Amendment bttt.
this is the key. states are addicted to the "federal govt. money" game and somehow need to be set free from that.
These talking heads on the MSM have not read nor understand our Constitution. The Founding Fathers feared an all powerful federal government might lead to tyranny and thus strictly limited its powers leaving the states free to govern in all areas in which they are not prohibited by the Constitution. For 200 years we have seen a growth of the power of the federal government at the expense of states. It is high time that we go back to the Republic that was created in 1789.
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.