Posts in "States' Rights"

By Matt Ciepielowski at 6:10PM

May 5, 2010

Democrats Have More Positive View of the Term "libertarian" than Republicans do

An interesting poll was released by the Pew Research Center yesterday. They polled people on whether they viewed certain terms positively or negatively.

Reactions to the word "libertarian" are evenly divided -- 38% positive, 37% negative. On balance, Republicans view "libertarian" negatively, Democrats are divided, while independents have a positive impression of the term.

States' rights actually polled far better than libertarian, with 77% positive and only 15% negative. The poll's topline can be viewed here.

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By Bonnie Kristian at 12:50PM

Mar 18, 2010

Idaho to Sue Fedgov if Residents Are Forced to Buy Insurance

The Associated Press reports that Idaho has taken early action to guard residents against universal healthcare:

Idaho took the lead in a growing, nationwide fight against health care overhaul Wednesday when its governor became the first to sign a measure requiring the state attorney general to sue the federal government if residents are forced to buy health insurance.
Similar legislation is pending in 37 other states.

Although some argue that such laws will be meaningless if the federal government does pass health care "reform," this is potentially the beginning of a good revival of states' rights.

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By Bonnie Kristian at 8:36AM

Dec 30, 2009

National Health Care Nullification

Nullification is when states refuse to enforce within their borders a law they find unconstitutional. Sounds good, no?

This article was all over my Facebook feed last night, but I needed to clean my house, so forgive my tardiness in bringing you this exciting news:

Right on the heels of a successful state-by-state nullification of the 2005 Real ID act, the State of Arizona is out in the forefront of a growing resistance to proposed federal health care legislation.

This past Monday, the Arizona State Senate voted 18-11 to concur with the House and approve the Health Care Freedom Act (HCR2014). This will put a proposal on the 2010 ballot which would constitutionally override any law, rule or regulation that requires individuals or employers to participate in any particular health care system.

Five other states are considering similar proposals -- and imagine if that number were 25!

California: The New Ideal?

California, typically thought of as the most progressive state in the union, has done something surprisingly unprogressive: it has invoked its rights as a state. A ballot measure being proposed by activists would legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, permit residents to grow it in their own gardens, and allow counties and cities to either uphold or shoot down the measure. If passed, this measure would result in the de facto nullification of certain federal drug laws.

What is even more encouraging is that local jurisdictions will ultimately decide the bills fate. Local governance, at least for the time being, is on the rise (As an aside, around where I live, many communities have voted to reduce the size of the town boards. It has been mainly seen as a "piss off" to our oversized local governments.) This bill, which has much more potential to come to fruition than do the many other states' rights bills in other state legislatures, could set a precedent and even start a domino effect. States are starting to realize that they should ultimately have much more of a say than the federal government, which is usually either insensitive to or ignorant of the cultural differences between the many states.

End the Drug War. Invoke states' rights. It's the only chance we have of escaping the Leviathan.

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By Bonnie Kristian at 8:32AM

Nov 6, 2009

End the Fed to help restore states' rights

An article at the Tenth Amendment Center argues that removing the Federal Reserve's additional layer of nationalization and its enormous expansion of the federal government is a key step toward reviving a meaningful system of federalism among the United States. In giving the federal government unlimited funding which cannot be controlled or cut off by the states or the people, the Fed allows our top-heavy regime to grow ever more centralized each day.

Moreover, a national bank helps create a national mindset:

Nationalize as much as possible, even the currency, so as to make men love their country before their states. All private interests, all local interests, all banking interests, the interests of individuals, everything, should be subordinate now to the interest of the government. -- Senator John Sherman

Retaining the Fed means retaining a major bulwark of unaccountable, nationalistic government and making that government subtlely more attractive to our citizens.

Let's go beyond marijuana

The article that caused me to write this can be found hetre.

In response to the immense roadblock that Representative Watt of North Carolina has erected in our goal of getting an audit of the Federal Reserve, I have all but lost my faith in the national government. I understand that Ron Paul will put an amendment into the bill to restore the removed language and I have done my best to contact the congressman who will make or break that amendment. Pray to God Barney Frank has an epiphany of liberty.

However, as I said, my faith in our national government is leaving more and more every day. What must we do to restore a government that protects our rights instead of taking them away? Well, to the progressive left the mere asking of such a question implies revolutionary tendencies and I could be an enemy of the state (which I would see as a compliment), but since a revolution as a solution has not yet been reached, we still have one ace up our sleeve: the states. Now, obviously this only seems like a solution to citizens of some states and a worse problem than the current national government to citizens of others (I'm referencing very big government states), but with strong states' opposition and assertion of their sovereignty we can hope for more than just a few getting the benefits.

Secession: A Possibility?

Is secession -- or, if not that, nullification and true states right -- a possibility in the foreseeable future? Though the idea has entered, in a small way, into the national debate, I am personally hesitant to acknowledge it as an event which our generation will live to see. However, we are still young and the states appear to be getting the idea that something needs to be done. For example:

Montana and Tennessee have enacted legislation declaring that firearms made and kept within those states are beyond the authority of the federal government. Similar versions of the law, known as the Firearms Freedom Act, have been introduced in at least four other states.
Arizona lawmakers will let voters decide a proposed state constitutional amendment that would opt the state out of federal healthcare mandates under consideration in Congress. The amendment will be placed on the November 2010 ballot. State Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, said five other states considered similar versions of the amendment this year and at least nine others are expected to do so next year.