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.
That’s our 10th Amendment. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas:
“My hope is that America and Washington in particular pays attention [to the Tea Party Movement]. We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, who knows what may come of that.”
And:
“Texas is a unique place. When we came into the union in 1845, one of the issues was that we would be able to leave if we decided to do that.”
AWR Hawkins at Pajamas Media:
The idea of secession gets under the skin of liberals like few other things can. And this is so because secession trumps their power grabs. When someone like Perry says his state has the right to leave the union if the federal government doesn’t uphold their end of the bargain, it’s a [6] stark reminder that “the federal government exists by and for the states, not the other way around.”
Rick Moran at American Thinker:
When the left talks about "The Bill of Rights" they don't mean what you and I believe it to mean. Where we rightly believe that the Bill of Rights refers to the first ten amendments to the Constitution, the left gets awfully choosy and picks out the amendments they agree with (1st, 4th, 5th, 6th) and either ignore the rest or, as in the case of the 2nd and 10th amendments, undermine them every chance they get….
With the federal government trying to dictate to the states through the stimulus bill what programs they must adopt - even when federal money won't pay for them after a few years - several governors have put their foot down and refused to go along. And they are basing their opposition on their right granted by the 10th amendment….
Moran concludes:
I'm thinking this might be a direction - one of them anyway - the Tea Party Movement might want to consider going. More state control is an implied goal of the Tea Party Movement anyway and getting state politicians on record that they support the 10th Amendment would be a good way to focus the energy generated by the nationwide protests on Wednesday.
Regardless, reasserting state control where possible is a fine conservative principle that politicians should be reminded of constantly.
I think Gov. Perry’s oblique reference to secession is very unfortunate. But the notion that Obama and the Dems are maneuvering well outside the Constitution is cause for some very sober reflection. As is this.
Mike
1 comments:
I don't remember where I came across this bit of information, but I recall reading once of a discussion between Chief Justice Roger B. Taney and President Lincoln shortly after the Confederacy was formed and before First Manassas. Taney is reputed to have told Lincoln to be sure the secession issue doesn't come before the Supreme Court because a majority of its members believed secession to be the inherent right of any of the states. Of course Taney's reputation is tarnished because of the Dred Scott decision, but in my opinion, there is nothing specific in the Constitution that prevents any of the states from declaring independency. What think you?
Tarheel Hawkeye
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