“The States should be left to do whatever they can do as well as the federal government”
Thomas Jefferson
“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.”
One of the most contentious points in the formation of a Federal government came from the individual states. The states didn’t want to lose the ability to make regional decisions nor to be subject to an overriding power from a distant national capital. The Tenth Amendment was written to reassure the states that they would remain largely in charge within their own borders. Until the mid-19th century, the Tenth Amendment was often cited by state governments to prevent Federal regulation of everything from taxation to interstate commerce. Since 1837, however, various rulings have mitigated the straightforward meaning of the Tenth Amendment, and such matters as a Federal income tax were subsequently upheld in the courts.
The key principle of the Constitution is quite simple: positive grant. Unfortunately, this is not a phrase that many of us hear in daily banter these days. But, it’s not a complicated principle at all.
What it means is this – the US federal government is authorized to exercise only those powers which are specifically given to it in the Constitution. Nothing more, and nothing less.
Period. End of story.
The founders felt so strongly about this principle that they codified it in law as the Tenth Amendment:
“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.”
Just a casual review of the activities of the federal government would make clear that there’s very little that it does which is actually authorized by the Constitution.
For many, many years, we’ve allowed our politicians to interpret and bend the rules of the Constitution; ostensibly for good reasons. But, we have to face reality. When you allow politicians to do this over long periods, eventually you end up with leaders who feel that the law doesn’t apply at all.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
If we are to have a free society for the future, we must reign in this out-of-control federal government, and return to our Constitution; with a special emphasis on the limitations imposed on government by the Tenth Amendment.
Iowa 5th District Rep. Steve King
AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari
Steve King rips Obama’s “gangster government”
Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King is an extremely rare politician. He tells you exactly what he thinks and how he feels, consequences be damned. Today, King made it very clear how he feels about the Obama administration.
During an interview with the Washington News Observer, King slammed President Obama and two of his closest advisers, Valerie Jarrett and Rahm Emanuel. All three emerged from the Chicago political system, which has a long and notorious history as the most corrupt city in the U.S.
“The Chicago Machine, we know what it is,” King said. “Someone called it gangster government. In Chicago, you have gangster government and Valerie Jarrett’s been in the middle of that. She’s been brokering power for a long time. And the link she has with William Ayers, and other nefarious characters in Chicago tells us what we’ve got in the White House itself. I mean she’s there. There are a number of links directly to Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, and they go back to Chicago.”
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO BELOW
How radical is Obama’s Chicago Machine? The current boss, Mayor Richard Daley, blames the Ft. Hood massacre on, not radical Islam, not the shooter. He blames it on guns. Boss Daley still wields great power over President Obama.
King has become one of the GOP’s true conservative soldiers in taking on Obama and the ultra-liberal Democrats in Congress. He even skipped his son’s wedding this past weekend to rally conservatives in a bid to defeat PelosiCare. In prerecorded comments at the Iowa GOP’s “Leadership for Iowa” event last Saturday, King ripped the bloated bill. “For liberals, this legislation is the crown jewel of their socialist agenda……we need to rise up and stand against this legislation until it is mortally wounded with a stake driven through its liberal heart.”
In September, King rallied behind fellow House member Joe Wilson and helped expose Democrat lies about giving ObamaCare to illegal immigrants. Even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell faced King’s wrath for his hypocritical stance against Rush Limbaugh.
King has become a frequent guest on cable talk shows and one of the main enemies of the liberal left. They hate him. They call him vile names like “racist”, “bigot” and “xenophobe”. These people have never met Steve King. I have. I worked closely with King and his staff after he endorsed Fred Thompson in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses. I do not always agree with him, but I respect him immensely. King is not a bigot, racist nor xenophobe. I have heard him speak many times on how God created all of us equally and we all should be treated equally.
King is a man of principles, and surprisingly to his critics, compassion. Unlike Obama and many politicians, who care more about votes and gaining power, King does not say one thing to the public and the exact opposite behind closed doors. What you see is what you get. Western Iowa is very lucky that it got Steve King as its congressman in 2003, and is lucky to have him still representing that district today.
Iowa’s Steve King rips Obama’s “gangster government”
Veterans Day honors all American veterans, both living and dead. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living veterans for dedicated and loyal service to their country. November 11 of each year is the day that we ensure veterans know that we deeply appreciate the sacrifices they have made in the lives to keep our country free. Be sure to thank any soldier or veteran you see or know for their sacrificial service to our country.
Send notes or cards to hospitalized veterans or those living in veterans’ homes. Or, better yet, visit a veteran in a local hospital or nursing home. The best way to have a “happy Veterans Day” is to do something special to make a veteran feel appreciated.
“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”
Cynthia Ozick
“It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.” Dick Cheney
“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” Elmer Davis
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John Fitzgerald Kennedy
“Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul.”
Michel de Montaigne
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THOUGHTS ON VETERANS DAY |
| It is the SOLDIER, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the SOLDIER, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the SOLDIER, not the campus organizers, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the SOLDIER, who salutes the flag, who serves the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protester to burn the flag. AMEN. |
From Representative Steve King ( only audio – no download time – listen for 5 minutes)
Michelle Bachmann invites you to Washington DC. Thursday November 5th, at 12:00 Noon on the Capitol steps ! It is called storm Washington!
Don’t forget to vote in the city elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3.