Too Much %@#%&* Federal Government!

[Warph]

The Tenth Amendment (Amendment X) of the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, was ratified on December 15, 1791.  The Tenth Amendment restates the Constitution's principle of Federalism by providing that powers not granted to the National government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states and to the people.

Personally, one of the biggest things that I see as a problem, at least federally with the US is the violation of both the interstate and foreign commerce clause (Article I Section 8 Clause 3) and the 10th amendment.

The federal government was NOT supposed to be an all powerful, all encompasing government, in fact it was supposed to have few and specifically listed powers, and the states and people have all the others.
" 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. "

Two things come out of constitutional adherence, first the states grow in power while the feds lose it.  This is a good thing, because that at the same time gives more power to the people.  Many states allow the people to directly vote on measures that the legislature proposes.  The people would actually have a vote in which laws get passed.  The other aspect is that its easier to recall or replace politicians in both the state legislature as well as governors office if you disagree with what they are doing.  A recent example was Gov. Davis being recalled in California just a few years ago.

The federal government has, at the will of the people, expanded its role beyond what was defined and authorized by the constitution.  Things like national healthcare are demanded without regard for the constitutional limits forbidding the federal government from doing this (the states have the power if the citizens want it).  Yet people will freak if their favourite constitutional provisions are violated, even if only in their imaginations.

I propose that people, *regardless of which party* they affiliate themselves with, vote for constitutional adherence.  Stop asking the government to violate more of the constitution just to get what you think you want (and will probably complain later when its mismanaged, over budget and failing miserably like many other governmental projects).

The war on poverty?  $7T in 44 years and still there are more poor people today (actually since the Iraq war started there has been a steady increase).

The war on drugs?  I dont have figures for this but I hear that about 1:100 people are in jail now in America, yeah about 1%, largely for drug crimes many for simple possession - yet receive no treatment for their addiction.  Over 1:40 people in america have been in "the system" at one point or another, drugs being the #1 reason.  There is a tremendous cost to this as one can imagine. 

States also are no longer free to pass their own laws regarding things like medical marijuana, regardless of how you feel about this particular issue, violating the constitution shouldnt be accepted.  Per the 2001 Supreme Court ruling regarding the Oakland Cannabis Club even if you prove the feds dont have jurisdiction per the constitution, they still do.  The preamble to the drug statutes (21 USC 801 or so) states that because some drugs are involved in interstate and foreign commerce, and congress can't tell which are and which aren't, they all are.  This is an end run around a limit imposed upon the federal government, is unconstitutional and is not the only example sadly.

The preamble to the firearms statutes (18 USC 921) states that because raw steel crosses state lines (PA to CT where colt firearms is located) that the gun is federal for life. This is yet another end run around that limit.  Sadly its one that the supreme court has upheld as well.

Even if you hate guns and drugs lets look at the dangers of this type of legislation.  If congress cant tell if they have the power, they do (or if you prove they dont, they do), and once something has been in the federal jurisdiction it is for life.  If this were applied to all things the 10th amendment would have no meaning, the federal government would be able to completely remove the power of that amendment.  Everything would be federal under the logic of these two laws.

Vote for constitutional adherence.  Seriously if the federal government was stripped down paying off the national debt would not be that difficult, less money would be wasted on duplicate programs ($73B/year on the federal board of education, which duplicates in most ways what the states also do, there are more examples), the people would have more power, odds are taxes would be less (even if states raised taxes to offset federal programs ending that increase would probably be lower than the decrease in federal tax).

And best of all the people would have more power again to control the government that is supposed to be there to serve them.

Hold politicians accountable with your vote, if they are legislators and do something that violates their constitutional powers, dont reelect them, recall if possible.  The same goes for a president.

And lastly, please read the constitution and understand what the limits are on the powers of the federal government as well.

...........Warph

[pam]

 Somthing we agree on Warph. The US government is a monster of our own makin and we are the only monster slayers who can do somthin about it.

[Anmar]

Warph, i hate arguing with you in one thread, only to have to agree with you in another.  It's a shame that so few people actually read the constitution these days and know that if the founding fathers are probably all rolling over in their graves.

[Teresa]

Anmar.. without difference of opinions.. we would learn nothing..

I believe even though we might disagree on some issues... we are..in fact ..very much on the same side of America...