I spoke to Bill Thompson of the Ocala, Florida News earlier this week. He has a very thoughtful article today on the Tenth Amendment movement. Here’s part of his article:
The author James Bovard, whose writings frequently focus on the negative consequences of the growth of the federal government at the expense of individual liberty, noted that these [Tenth Amendment] movements only seem to emerge when Democrats control the White House and Congress.
Many conservatives allowed themselves to be “blinded” by former President Bush, Bovard said. They have awakened to the danger of Washington just since last November, he observed, and appeared unconcerned about the intricacies of the Bill of Rights when their man had his hands on the levers.
Likewise liberals who, for instance, protested President Bush’s funding of faith-based initiatives and groups, should now be faulted for not objecting to a massive infusion of federal cash into the economy, Bovard noted.
“It’s a worthy goal, although I don’t know if it will change the political landscape,” Bovard observed of what the SAC and other groups are trying to do.
A minor clarification: Bill quoted me correctly. But I should have been more precise: the Tenth Amendment movement has been around and a lot of good folks have been pushing the issue. It seems that there is much more attention on the issue now that the Democrats are in the White House.
Like for much of the U.S. Constitution, any attempt at resurrecting foundational principles within the 10th amendment is akin to wee-weeing into a gale. The States Rights implicit in the 10th amendment are a dead issue because it is a matter of faith now that the members elected to Congress as ‘representatives” of the States are actually Agents of the Federal Edifice and its freebooting supporters.
The States are going the way of many county governments who are constantly besieged with a flood of decrees emanating from the Statehouse without any notion of how they might be paid for.
Best of luck to anyone attempting to re-assert any form of checks and balances in this government of the government, by the government and for the government.
Sure. What most people want is not a reduction in the levers of power….they just want their own crew to have their hands on ’em. Ds were far keener on states’ rights two years ago than they are now…. 😀