Lawmakers in 20 states move to reclaim sovereignty
Obama's
$1 trillion deficit-spending 'stimulus plan' seen as last straw
Posted:
February 06, 2009
11:50 pm Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
NEW YORK – As the Obama administration attempts to push through Congress a
nearly $1 trillion deficit spending plan that is weighted heavily toward
advancing typically Democratic-supported social welfare programs, a rebellion
against the growing dominance of federal control is beginning to spread at the
state level.
So far, eight states have introduced resolutions declaring state sovereignty
under the Ninth and Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, including Arizona,
Hawaii, Montana, Michigan,
Missouri,
New
Hampshire, Oklahoma
and Washington.
Analysts expect that in addition, another 20 states may see similar measures introduced
this year, including
"What we are trying to do is to get the U.S. Congress out of the
state's business
," Oklahoma Republican state Sen. Randy Brogdon told WND.
"Congress is completely out of line spending trillions of dollars over
the last 10 years putting the nation into a debt crisis like we've never
seen before," Brogdon said, arguing that the
Obama stimulus plan is the last straw taxing state patience in the brewing
sovereignty dispute.
"This particular 111th Congress is the biggest bunch of over-reachers and underachievers we've ever had in
Congress," he said.
"A sixth-grader should realize you can't borrow money to pay off your
debt, and that is the Obama administration's answer for a stimulus
package," he added.
The Ninth Amendment reads, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of
certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by
the people."
The Tenth Amendment specifically provides, "The powers not delegated to
the
Brogdon, the lead sponsor of the
Rollback federal authority
The various sovereignty measures moving through state legislatures are
designed to reassert state authority through a rollback of federal authority
under the powers enumerated in the Constitution, with the states assuming the
governance of the non-enumerated powers, as required by the Tenth Amendment.
The state sovereignty measures, aimed largely at the perceived fiscal irresponsibility
of Congress in the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, have
gained momentum with the $1 trillion deficit-spending economic stimulus package
the Obama administration is currently pushing through Congress.
Particularly disturbing to many state legislators are the increasing number
of "unfunded mandates" that have proliferated in social welfare
programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, in which bills passed by Congress
dictate policy to the states without providing funding.
In addition, the various state resolutions include discussion of a wide
range of policy areas, including the regulation of firearms sales (
"We are trying to send a message to the federal government that the
states are trying to reclaim their sovereignty," Republican Rep.
Matt Shea, the lead sponsor of
"State sovereignty has been eroded in so many areas, it's hard to know
where to start," he said. "There are a ton of federal mandates
imposed on states, for instance, on education spending and welfare
spending."
Shea said the Obama administration's economic stimulus package moving
through Congress is a "perfect example."
"In the state of
Shea is a private attorney who serves with the Alliance Defense Fund, a nationwide
network of about 1,000 attorneys who work pro-bono. As a counter
to the ACLU, the alliance seeks to protect and defend religious liberty, the
sanctity of life and traditional family values.
Republican state Rep. Judy Burges, the primary
sponsor of the sovereignty resolution in the Arizona
House, told WND the federal government "has been trouncing on our
constitutional rights."
"The real turning point for me was the Real ID act, which involved both
a violation of the Fourth Amendments rights against the illegal searches and
seizures and the Tenth Amendment," she said.
Burges told WND she is concerned that the
overreaching of federal powers could lead to new legislation aimed at
confiscating weapons from citizens or encoding ammunition.
"The Real ID Act was so broadly written that we are afraid that it
involves the potential for "mission-creep," that could easily involve
confiscation of firearms and violations of the Second Amendment," she
said.
Burges said she has been surprised at the number
of e-mails
she has received in support
of the sovereignty measure.
"We are a sovereign state in