The 10th Amendment of the US constitution 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.”
Who would have thought that such an issue would now be brought to the fore thanks to the President’s massive “stimulus” package.
Texas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, New Hampshire, Washington, Oklahoma, Arizona, Montana, Missouri, Pennsylvania and a few more have introduced legislation claiming sovereignty under the 10th Amendment.
Read my latest post on the Pennsylvania resolution at Keystone Conservative.
Why are they doing this?
To grossly oversimplify they believe the Federal government has overstepped it’s bounds and will continue to in the next few years. They also believe that money always comes with strings attached. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana told the Washington Post,
“I strongly suggest that other states also look closely at this provision in the bill so they can also avoid ultimately passing on a significant tax to businesses that will be left paying for this expansion of benefits when the federal money dries up,”
Sure a major influx of cash into a state economy would help but what happens when the Federal coffers go dry? Would it not be better to let the states deal with the problems themselves now, instead of later?
In any recession people will have to make sacrifices, the question we have to ask ourselves is who should make that sacrifice, should we or should we push that sacrifice on to our children and children’s children.
I’m still figuring out all the pros and cons of these state sovereignty resolutions and looking back at history has been helpful. I’ve been brushing up on my constitutional knowledge by listening to Ned Ryun’s podcast series on the history of the constitutional convention. An excellent series which I highly recommend. Visit NedRyun.com to listen to the series.
Have any thoughts? Please share them in the comments.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
The state sovereignty issue have been interesting to watch unfold, it’s true. Unfortunately, they seem to come at a very interesting time, when we have a black president and are going though enormously trying economic times. Saying that it is ALL racially motivated is pretty strong, not acknowledging that it some of it could be racially motivated is unrealistic.
These state leaders had the ability to look at where the country was headed for the past several yesr and say “enough is enough.” Now that there is a guy in there who wants to try and fix things, if the governors, Jindal, etc…start waving the banner of secession, it just seems politically motivated, to me.
In a couple years there will be an election and the people get to decide who they want to represent them. The people who want secession should take that opportunity to make their case for different policies. That’s the way we do it in this country. Walking away from the fight and trying to take your state with you is cowardly.
Keep up the nice work!